Aaron Brzozowski
When the Ford F-150 showed off its new optional Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature, which allows drivers to perfectly place a trailer in reverse without jackknifing or breaking a sweat, we were in awe.
Of course, we weren’t alone, and the Consumer Technology Association has just named the Ford F-150’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist a 2016 Best of Innovation Awards Honoree in the category of Vehicle Intelligence.
The Ford F-150‘s optional Pro Trailer Backup Assist enables drivers to easily back trailers into place by using a dash-mounted knob and a reverse camera. The driver need only look at the live camera feed, and turn the knob left or right, using an outline rendered onto the feed to get a sense of the trailer’s current heading. The new system will then turn the steering wheel of the Ford F-150 automatically as necessary to reach the desired trailer placement.
Being named a Best of Innovation Awards Honoree is a big deal; every year, the CES Innovation Awards select the best new breakthrough technologies across 27 different categories based on their engineering, aesthetics, usefulness, and myriad other criteria.
Says Ford VP of Global Product Development Raj Nair: “We’re honored to be named Best of Innovation among such a strong field of competitors. Pro Trailer Backup Assist is another example of Ford leveraging new technology to make every-day driving tasks easier.”
