Imagine driving down the road on a dark night.

Suddenly; your car slows and rolls to a gentle stop, just before a big deer that had been completely hidden from sight in the woods, darts out onto the road exactly where you would have been, if advanced thermal imaging sensors hadn't saved you from a potentially fatal crash.

Sound far-fetched?

Well, according to researchers at Purdue University, that could actually happen within the next few years, if their new HADAR technology is adopted by the automotive industry for both human-driven, and autonomous vehicles.

HADAR is short for "heat assisted detection and ranging"; and according to our featured guest today, Purdue University Associate Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor, Dr. Zubin Jacob, it takes existing thermal imaging to the next level with improved sensor hardware, and AI-powered software.

Listen now to find how HADAR could be used in many different industries, including medicine and defense, but why Zubin's first goal, is to get it adopted by the automotive industry.