Modern technology in cars is improving every year, and one of the technologies that seems to be on the uptick is called Motion Object Detection. It’s available in several modern cars using different names, but in the 2024 Infiniti QX60, it works quite effectively.
The basic idea is that, as you are driving and when you park, the QX60 is constantly scanning around the vehicle using sensors to make sure you are not close to any obstructions. They can detect a pillar at a parking garage just as easily, a bike coming up on the side.
Infiniti explains it best on their website: “Moving Object Detection is a new addition to the Around View Monitor System. It detects motion all around your vehicle. When something is nearby, four cameras visually shows you where any movement is, via your in-dash display.”
Interestingly, the luxury automaker has also noted how the tech has improved in recent models, and I noticed it was more aware of the surroundings and alerted me in a more precise way. As Infiniti states: “QX60’s available digital Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection has been enhanced and refined to help see beyond the vehicle, giving you confidence and clarity when parking, backing up and more.”
So what is it like to actually use it? For starters, the alerts helped me park at the shopping mall and when I drove to a friends and found the driveway was crowded with cars. The alerts detect any obstructions, even the one you can’t see yourself. Sensors are constantly scanning and looking around the vehicle in ways that would be impossible for any human. We just can’t stay that vigilant, and we can’t look in all directions at once.
During my test, the Moving Object Detection detected quite a few random objects — my snowblower, which was tilted a little too close to the vehicle in my garage and that pillar at the mall. In the driveway, it alerted me to the best kind of object detection of all — a person. I was parking when someone came way too close to the vehicle, and I heard the chimes so I stopped.
Modern cars are improving in this regard, especially when it comes to smaller objects like animals, bikes, and other moving objects. In the early days, it was more about detecting other cars, but that’s not really how a normal day works. We encounter many other “objects” besides cars, especially when we park and in city traffic. Detection on highways is more predictable and easier, but we’re not always driving on highways.
In the future, I could see detection improving even more — seeing smaller objects and obstructions, including projectiles that are coming at the vehicle (although I’m not sure there’s much we could do about that).
For now, I really like how the QX60 detects people and objects during parking and in slow-speed driving situations. It’s helpful for more than just highway driving.
