What does the future of driving look like? For HARMAN, it’s a lot safer and sustainable

Knowing what’s around the corner when you’re on the road is an exercise in vigilance—maybe it’s sudden braking due to an accident, a traffic jam or another driver going the wrong way. The key is noticing these things early enough to react. That’s exactly what HARMAN Ready Aware is designed to help with.

Spotting hazards before they strike

HARMAN Ready Aware is a groundbreaking approach to road safety. Designed as a cloud-based vehicle-to-network (V2N) solution, it delivers real-time, context-aware digital alerts straight to drivers. Unlike traditional active safety systems that rely on additional hardware, Ready Aware is a software solution that does not require any new connectivity hardware, making it a scalable and cost-effective solution for both new and existing vehicles.

“Our vision is to connect humanity in motion to deliver safe, smart and sustainable mobility experiences for all road users including bicyclists and pedestrians,” explained Nisarg Modi, Connectivity Business Lead at HARMAN. “HARMAN Ready Aware offers the right alerts to the right vehicles at the right time, reducing cognitive overload for drivers.”

The brilliance of Ready Aware lies in its ability to identify and alert users on three key types of driving situations. First, data feed-based hazards like roadworks, accidents ahead or vehicles driving the wrong way are detected with the help of HERE Road Alerts.

Second, it picks up real-time warnings from other vehicles equipped with Ready Aware—things like sudden braking, airbag deployment or an open trunk.

Additionally, Ready Aware provides real-time traffic light information such as time-to-green alerts and red-light assist, helping drivers stay attentive and reducing the risk of unnecessary distractions while waiting at intersections.

More heads-up, less guesswork

To make its real-time alerts as useful as possible, HARMAN collaborated with HERE and integrated HERE Road Alerts data to provide precise real-time in-vehicle contextual alerts about immediate hazards ahead on the road, including bad weather conditions, road congestion, roadworks and wrong-way drivers.

“HERE has been a long-standing strategic partner and offers one of the most robust road hazard data solutions available” said Modi. “Combining HERE’s data with our vehicle-to-network (V2N)-based architecture and Software-as-a-Software (SaaS) model creates unparalleled value for automakers.”

Meeting 2026 Euro NCAP standards

Car safety standards are changing, and the upcoming Euro NCAP 2026 requirements show just how important smart hazard detection and communication have become. The standards emphasize V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, hazard reporting, software updates and how well systems work alongside existing driver-assistance features.

Ready Aware is already built with that in mind. “It gives drivers the hazard info they need, without increasing cognitive load,” Modi said. HARMAN highlighted the advanced machine learning (ML) functionality within Ready Aware, which reduces false positives and ensures high-precision alerts. It's all part of HARMAN’s vision to enable safer, smarter and more intelligent interactions between drivers, passengers and their vehicles.

A lightweight solution for a global market

In addition to its advanced functionality, Ready Aware sets itself apart with its efficiency. “This is a cloud-centric, lightweight solution that can scale across models and regions,” Modi remarked, addressing potential customer concerns. “The software footprint is so small it can be deployed to existing vehicles over-the-air, which dramatically reduces implementation time and cost.”

Furthermore, Modi emphasizes that Ready Aware is ready for real-world deployment. “The software is ready for integration into vehicle platforms and we are looking forward to  working collaboratively with automakers to bring this solution to market,” Modi added.

See Ready Aware in action

Curious to see it in person? HARMAN will be showcasing Ready Aware at The 34th 5GAA F2F Meeting Week in Paris on May 15th, 2025. Stop by their booth for a live demonstration and witness firsthand how this technology is designed to save lives while transforming mobility.