“PHASED-ARRAY radar, a technology used by the military to guide missiles to their targets, is about to take on a civilian mission: alerting drivers to the presence of vehicles in the cars’ “blind spots.”

Miniaturized and drawing a small fraction of the power required to track targets like supersonic fighter jets, the automotive radar systems are designed to detect vehicles lurking in areas blocked from the driver’s view. These so-called blind spots can be a result of improperly positioned rearview mirrors, structural necessities like the pillars that support the car’s roof, or a cargo load that blocks the driver’s line of sight.”