Ford is testing an array of new active crash-avoidance and driver-aid technologies by driving prototypes into large, car-shaped balloons
Ford engineers are using car-sized balloons as target practice as the company tests an array of new “active” crash-avoidance and driver-aid technologies it will introduce in 2009.
By driving prototypes into the balloons, Ford engineers are working to help consumers avoid real accidents. Most recently tested was Ford’s new Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support, one of the next-generation safety features Ford developed to meet growing consumer demand for technology that helps avoid sudden, unexpected hazards.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support is designed to warn drivers of possible hazards in front of them and assist them in reacting earlier. The area in front of the vehicle is continuously monitored by a radar sensor.
The balloons:
- Allow Ford engineers to prove out the feature without endangering test drivers or damaging real cars. About a dozen balloon cars, weighing more than 40 pounds, are available in different sizes and designed to test the radar.
- Offer enough give to allow impact without injury and allow engineers to gain knowledge of what happens at the instant before impact.
Quotes
“We want to build on Ford’s leading number top crash-safety ratings by offering the most advanced crash-avoidance technologies,” said Steve Kozak, Ford’s global chief engineer, Safety Systems. “Delivering these new technologies required our teams to implement new types of testing.”
“The first few times you drive into the balloon, it’s scary,” said Mike Lopez, engineer and test driver. “You are deliberately driving straight into a stationary object that looks like a car, and it’s against every intuition you’ve developed since you started driving.”
Tags: active crash avoidance, Adaptive Cruise Control, balloon, brake support, collision warning, Ford, Ford Motor Company
