News: EXTENDABLE BUMPERS COULD KEEP SMART CONVOYS SAFE

EXTENDABLE BUMPERS COULD KEEP SMART CONVOYS SAFE

Extendable bumpers could be used by convoys of intelligent vehicles to maintain safe distances when normal communications fail, according to researchers, who say their simulations suggest that bumpers that expand pneumatically to touch the car ahead could help keep the convoy together safely in an emergency. Prototype automated control systems that allow intelligent vehicles to travel into tight bunches reduce congestion, save fuel and cut down on accidents, but if communications become disrupted, the situation could be too fast-moving and complex for human drivers, with dangerous consequences. A car equipped with sensors in an extendable bumper would allow the vehicle to determine what the one in front was doing and react quickly by measuring compression of the bumper to track the relative speed and acceleration of the car ahead. Read more: the link.