Google's new patent for self-driving cars makes cars "softer" for safer

[Netease Intelligence News August 15 news] If someone wants to smash your head with a turkey leg, do you want the chicken leg to be frozen or thawed?

Of course, you will definitely choose thawed chicken drumsticks because it has better softness.

Recently, according to the same principle, Waymo, a company spun off by Google, obtained a patent for a new type of self-driving car.

One of the strongest arguments to support the rapid development of autonomous vehicles is that this may reduce the accident rate on the road. It is generally believed that robots will be better drivers than humans.

However, car accidents are inevitable, and Waymo, a company spun off by Google, hopes to design a self-driving car that can reduce the occurrence of car accidents.

When the company was still a division of Google, it filed a patent application for a car to have a coating similar to flypaper on the hood. If the car hits a pedestrian, the victim will be caught. Stick to the hood without being thrown out to avoid further injury.

Waymo recently obtained a patent for a self-driving car. When the sensor senses that a collision is about to occur, the car’s stiffness will decrease.

The patent was published on August 8, "The impact force of the vehicle is the main factor causing damage to the vehicle." Therefore, it is advisable to design a vehicle that can reduce the impact force generated during a collision. Just like thawed turkey legs can reduce head injuries, reducing the hardness of a car can also reduce the damage it causes to other vehicles or people.

Based on this new patented technology, the hood, panel and bumper of a car can be hardened by using cables under tension. Reducing the tension will reduce the stiffness of the part the car hits.

Before the impact, how the softening degree of the car shell affects the safety of the occupants in the car is not mentioned in the patent.

Before the impact, how the softening degree of the car shell affects the safety of the occupants in the car is not mentioned in the patent.

It remains to be seen whether this technology can enter the American road in the future-after all, many patents cannot bring real products. (From: siliconbeat Author: Ethan Baron Compiler: NetEase Jianwai Intelligent Compiler Platform Review: jixinyue8871)