Waymo patents 'softer cars'

[EunSoo]

 

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If someone was going to whack you in the head with a turkey drumstick, would you want the drumstick to be frozen or thawed? Clearly, you’d want the thawed drumstick because it would have more give. The same principle more or less underlies a new self-driving car patent from Google spinoff Waymo.

 

 - http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/08/08/google-spinoff-waymo-patents-incredible-floppy-self-driving-car/?doing_wp_cron=1502658280.3396549224853515625000

 

A pretty undisputed fact about self-driving cars is that they'll cause fewer accidents than human drivers but Google's Waymo has been experimenting how they can minimize the inevitable crash.

 

Previously, the tried adding a flypaper-like coating of glue to the hood of a car so that if a pedestrian got stuck, he/she would stick to the hood instead of getting thrown off and further injured.

 

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Now, Waymo has just received a patent for an autonomous vehicle that becomes less rigid when its sensors tell it that it’s about to get into a collision. “The force of the vehicle’s impact is a primary factor in the amount of damage that is caused by the vehicle,” said the patent granted Aug. 8. “Accordingly, it is desirable to design a vehicle that can reduce the force of impact experienced during a collision.”

...

Under the newly patented technology, a car’s hood, panels and bumpers could be made rigid with the use of cables under tension. Reducing the tension would reduce the rigidity of the car in the place it was going to be hit, according to the patent.

...

How softening the shell of a car before impact might affect the safety of the people inside it was not addressed in the patent.

 

 - http://www.siliconbeat.com/2017/08/08/google-spinoff-waymo-patents-incredible-floppy-self-driving-car/?doing_wp_cron=1502658280.3396549224853515625000

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An illustration from the Waymo patent. The horizontal lines represent the adjustable “tension members” that would loosen or tighten to change the external rigidity of the car (the thick line).

 

 - https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/13/16131816/waymo-patent-self-driving-car-safety-bendy-crumple

 

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The end result would hopefully be a lighter impact for those hit by the car. Think of it like a metal beanbag that crumples to accommodate a new, unexpected passenger.

Of course, the usual caveats for patents apply here. This is nothing more than a particularly detailed back-of-the-napkin sketch at this point. There are no tests showing whether such a system could help save pedestrians’ lives, or whether it would even be safe for people inside the vehicle. But at least it’s more sensible than one of Google’s earlier ideas for protecting walkers from self-driving cars: covering the outside of the vehicle with adhesive to ensure anyone it collides with doesn’t fly off and hurt themselves.

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 - https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/13/16131816/waymo-patent-self-driving-car-safety-bendy-crumple

 

So what do you think of that concept? Think it'll work or just a crazy idea that will never make it to production.

[SpaceGhostC2C]

10 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

So what do you think of that concept? Think it'll work or just a crazy idea that will never make it to production.

Softer, self-driving cars? I think I know what you mean:

 

Spoiler

 

[Guest]

Could work. But would this dent the car? Or would this make the front non-dentable? Also the adhesive thing lol.

[EunSoo]

Just now, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Softer, self-driving cars? I think I know what you mean:

 

  Hide contents

 

not quite what I was going for but sure

[sazrocks]

The adhesive thing sounds hilarious

[EunSoo]

1 minute ago, Abyss Gaming said:

Could work. But would this dent the car? Or would this make the front non-dentable? Also the adhesive thing lol.

Your guess is as good as mine. it's way too early to tell. Waymo may have a prototypes or two but I doubt they're close to figuring out the potential of this thing or even if it'll work.

5 minutes ago, sazrocks said:

The adhesive thing sounds hilarious

until you get hit...

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

 

until you get hit...

...And theres no adhesive to help cause its covered in all kinds of dirt, bugs, leaves, etc

[Arika]

50 minutes ago, Abyss Gaming said:

...And theres no adhesive to help cause its covered in all kinds of dirt, bugs, leaves, etc

....well the adhesive could be bad. what if you get stuck to it but now you cannot move at all and your legs go under the front bumper? your feet would grind against the road until you're just stumps

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Sierra Fox said:

....well the adhesive could be bad. what if you get stuck to it but now you cannot move at all and your legs go under the front bumper? your feet would grind against the road until you're just stumps

All around just flawed basically

[vanished]

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Previously, the tried adding a flypaper-like coating of glue to the hood of a car so that if a pedestrian got stuck, he/she would stick to the hood instead of getting thrown off and further injured.

omg, can you imagine?  Just picture that scene...

[Drak3]

54 minutes ago, Abyss Gaming said:

All around just flawed basically

55 minutes ago, Sierra Fox said:

....well the adhesive could be bad. what if you get stuck to it but now you cannot move at all and your legs go under the front bumper? your feet would grind against the road until you're just stumps

The perfect murder....

53 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

omg, can you imagine?  Just picture that scene...

I'm imagining. Horrible.

 

Now I'm adding in my ex to the scene. And it's just so, so wonderful.

[techswede]

That adhesive part. 

"Yeah 911? We're going to need an ambulance down here... Bring a spatula or something" 

 

As for the thing itself. Why not. Give it a go.

Volvo already tried the pedestrian airbag

And some modern cars raise their hoods a bit in the event of some yahoo that doesn't look both ways.

[Zodiark1593]

Well, my grandma always wanted hood ornaments...

[EunSoo]

you guys are brutal. I'm fairly certain that this flypaper-like glue isn't just an Elmer's glue stick slathered on the hood lol.

[vanished]

5 minutes ago, SCGazelle said:

you guys are brutal. I'm fairly certain that this flypaper-like glue isn't just an Elmer's glue stick slathered on the hood lol.

That's what they want you to think!

 

Personally I think rather than trying to stick them to the car, they should make it so slippery they are just sort of slid under in place, without being pinned to the windshield by acceleration or anything.