General Motors is developing a new wireless pedestrian detection technology for its vehicles, using Wi-Fi Direct connectivity.

The new feature will be capable of detecting pedestrians and bicyclists on congested streets or in poor visibility conditions before the driver notices them.

Wi-Fi Direct enables devices like some smartphones to communicate directly with each other rather than through a shared access point like a cell phone tower.

GM said that Wi-Fi Direct can be integrated with other sensor-based object detection and driver alert systems already available on production vehicles to help detect pedestrians and bicyclists carrying smartphones equipped with the technology.

The company is also planning to develop a complementary app for Wi-Fi Direct-capable smartphones that can be downloaded by users like bike messengers or construction workers so that Wi-Fi Direct-equipped vehicles identify them.

The project is part of the automaker's ongoing development of vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems that is expected to offer advance warning about hazards like slowed or stalled vehicles, slippery roads or intersections and stop signs.

GM global R&D director of the electrical and control systems research lab Nady Boules said that the new wireless capability could warn drivers about pedestrians who might be stepping into the roadway from behind a parked vehicle, or bicyclists who are riding in the car's blind spot.

"Wi-Fi Direct has the potential to become an integral part of the comprehensive driver assistance systems we offer on many of our Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC vehicles," Boules said.