Vehicular Child Presence detection to spur automotive radar shipments in 2030, says report

LONDON: Driver and occupant monitoring systems will be the fastest-growing active safety system over the decade, growing at a CAGR of 25% between 2023 and 2030, according to a new report by global technology intelligence firm ABI Research.

Regulation and the standardised testing of fatigue detection, attention assistance, and child presence detection in safety rating agencies, such as NCAP, are driving this growth.

In-cabin perception will be powered by a mixture of active sensors, with single camera solutions relying on wide Field of Views to detect multiple vectors of driver distraction and impairment.

Radar technologies like 60GHz and Ultra Wideband (UWB)-radar will complement camera sensors in the future.

Researchers say millimeter-wave (mmWave) radar is the ideal technology for Child Presence Detection (CPD) delivery.

This safety application detects if children have either been left behind or have gained access to a vehicle and become trapped inside.

CPD will detect signs of life in the rear of a locked car, alerting the owner or emergency services and activating the HVAC system where possible to prevent deaths from hyperthermia.


mmWave radar can penetrate through occlusions such as the driver / front passenger, front seats, and child blankets to detect forgotten children in areas that camera sensors cannot see.

mmWave sensors can also catch the subtle movements associated with breathing and heartbeat, resulting in more robust detection of a forgotten child, as opposed to an empty child seat or a forgotten luggage item.

Volvo has pioneered the first radar-based CPD system, set for its introduction on the EX90 SUV, which will leverage three 60GHz radar sensors.

This wavelength benefits from broad regulatory approval for in-cabin sensing in key automotive markets and a range of application-specific solutions from vendors such as TI, Infineon, and Socionext.

In the long term, UWB sensors equipped to vehicles to power the smart access use-case could also be repurposed to deliver the CPD use-case without needing an additional 60GHz radar.

Active safety systems are making the rapid jump from a niche system to commonly adopted safety technology, driven by regulations like GSR 2 in Europe and safety-ratings agencies.

These findings are from ABI Research's In-Cabin Sensing Technologies and Applications application analysis report.