External Airbag Designed to Protect Pedestrians 253
Thanks to researchers at Cranfield University, you don't have to feel bad when you plow into a group of pedestrians who are crossing the street too slowly. They have designed an external airbag that mounts to your hood at the base of the windshield. Research shows that this is the area where a pedestrian's head is most likely to hit in an accident. "Test results indicate that the system works extremely well. When fitted to a demonstrator vehicle not originally designed with pedestrian protection in mind, the results were well inside all current legal criteria for pedestrian protection currently in force in Europe," Roger Hardy of the university's Cranfield Impact Centre said.
Ohhh! (Score:4, Funny)
Three horsepower rubber cars (Score:3)
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And my sig may be apropos.
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If it uses sensors so the airbags can start being deployed prior to impact, why not add some bags to the front bumper. This may not eliminate crippling leg injures, but it might lessen them...
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> to be modded redundant in the first post is of the utmost Mod stupidity.
Once upon a time Slashdot had a system where we could moderate the moderations - "metamod" they called it. It'd be nice if that came back.
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It's still there, as far as I can tell. The only time I see a link to it is when I have mod points, though- it's right at the top of the discussion.
-b
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One point of advice. Next time, ensure you have built up some karma before going for a first post. You are now in the dreaded zero point posting land and are doomed to a life of slashdot obscurity.
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Wait, the most I've got is Excellent Karma, is there anything like Perfect Karma? Do you go to Nirvana and never post again after that happens?
Perfect Karma would be such a cool movie title... It'll need to have Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan and a digital recreation of Pat Morita.
Cowcatchers (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Cowcatchers (Score:5, Funny)
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That's the beauty of the cowcatcher, it deflect the obstruction to the side and into someone else's grille. Even then you can just let the birds pick the meaty bits out and hose down later.
Speed Racer Mach 5 Rotating Saws . . . (Score:4, Funny)
. . . button "C" on the cartoon Speed Racer's original Mach 5 activated rotating saws at the front, that were able to clear the way of *anything*.
We might need to adjust the regulations for pedestrian protection for this to be offered as standard equipment.
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I wish cars had deercatchers as an option. They'd probably work just as well on pedestrians (though the law may not like any aftermarket automatic cleaning and butchering options you add).
My old Crown Vic wouldn't have needed one but my current vehicle isn't as sturdily built. I don't think I'd get away with $30 in used parts with this car after smacking one.
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Remember, its human error that accounts for roughly 100% of accidents. Not hardware failure. So, go ahead and keep making those cars more "safe".
I think you need to take another look at the statistics. It's entirely possible for failed brakes or a busted tie-rod end to cause an accident.
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Nah. Probably best to put a spike in the center of the steering wheel.
Think how much safer people would drive with that safety feature.
Car interiors designed like iron maidens? I'm going to expect to see that as a product marketed by Dethklok in a future episode of Metalocalypse.
...Not originally designed... (Score:4, Interesting)
The summary indicates that it works well when applied to a vehicle not originally designed for pedestrian protection. They say this in conjunction with research indicating where a pedestrian's head will hit.
I'm sorry, but what cars are designed with pedestrian protection in mind in scenarios that would involve striking a pedestrian such that his head would hit my windshield?
Also, if I'm protecting the pedestrian, do I lose my entire field of view, and end up running down other pedestrians?
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:4, Interesting)
"When fitted to a demonstrator vehicle not originally designed with pedestrian protection in mind, the results were well inside all current legal criteria for pedestrian protection currently in force in Europe"
Okay, so this airbag was sufficient to meet with pedestrian protection laws... Uh, assuming most cars on the road are compliant with the law, I'm wondering exactly how much protection those laws call for. I'd think pretty much anything that didn't attempt to increase pedestrian danger would be fine. So no spiked grills, buzz saws, axe wheels, reactive armor, pumapults and the like. Since an airbag isn't any of those things (or at least isn't if designed correctly), add one to a car that is street legal and -- ta-da! -- it's still street legal! Woo!
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Since an airbag isn't any of those things
Sir, I applaud your engineering genius. I must build a reactive armor airbag: the car, upon being assaulted by a pedestrian, cushions the pedestrian's impact...just as it throws him 30 feet into the air.
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Funny)
Hey man, let's see you design an air bag that isn't actually a spinning axe wheel of death or a mountain lion and see if you think it's that easy. And if you do, then let me know what I'm doing wrong?!
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually, it pales in comparison to the #1 advance for "pedestrian protection", DON'T F-ING HIT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Sorry, but the idea that ricocheting a pedestrian from my hood into something else (presumably something without an airbag) seems absurd.
At BEST its attempting to move liability from one person (the one driving the vehicle), to another (the driver that caused the life altering injury when some hapless pedestrian got thrown like a billiard ball against his car).
If these come out, I'm just going to wait until the lawsuits start piling in, although since they'll most likely be filed by living people instead of on their behalf, it may take juries a bit to warm up to the idea of placing blame where it really belongs (cue Monty-Python's "You got turned into a newt? ... I got better" routine)
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, it pales in comparison to the #1 advance for "pedestrian protection", DON'T F-ING HIT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Sorry, but the idea that ricocheting a pedestrian from my hood into something else (presumably something without an airbag) seems absurd.
And I find your suggestion to not plow into pedestrians equally absurd. How else am I going to rack up combo bonus points?
Also, obviously the goal is to have as many cars as possible with these air bags on them, so the pedestrian won't just bounce off my car into another air-bagless car and die, but instead will be bounced again and again from car to car until harmlessly tossed onto the grass, where they will doubtless jump up and shout in child-like glee "Again! Again!" And I'll get like 10,000 points for a 40-bounce combo. Looks like a win-win scenario to me. Why Luddites like you are against using technology to make life more awesome, I'll never know.
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Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:4, Funny)
Don't they have parks in your city? The drivers would probably start passing the pedestrian along, like a game of vehicular hackey sack, towards the city park. Bonus points if they land in the fountain!
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Ultra... Ultra... Ultra... Again! Again! Ultra... Ultra... Again! Ultra...
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Actually, it pales in comparison to the #1 advance for "pedestrian protection", DON'T F-ING HIT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Are you kidding, that little old lady with the walker was practically begging for it.
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No shit, that must be why she's there like every other block no matter how many times you hit her. Hey, she wants to get hit, who am I to let her down.
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:4, Insightful)
You mean the dumbass who walked into moving traffic???
Situations certainly exist where the driver bears responsibility for hitting a pedestrian (running a red light, taking a blind corner as fast as the car can handle), but let's not turn this into one of those joke arguments about poor defenseless pedestrians vs the nasty aggressive drivers.
I'll skip the stories of idiot bimbos on cellphones randomly walking out from between two parked SUVs to cross four-lane roads, and skip right to a real gem that blew me away. Two winters ago, coming home from work, the roads had a nasty layer of ice on them. I crested a hill doing easily 10mph under, and saw a guy talking to his neighbor across the road, from the MIDDLE of my lane. Now, I had a good 600-800ft to him, and he had perhaps a full 30 seconds to get out of the way. I applied the breaks, no effect. So I honked (three brief taps, not blaring the horn at him) to warn him, and the stupid bastard flipped me off and kept standing there chatting!
I kept honking and eventually nudged my car into the other lane (thank god for no oncoming traffic) to avoid hitting him, and succeeded. But seriously - I swear if I could have stopped, I would have gotten out to beat the shit out of him.
And yet, had my car hit him, any court in the country would have called it "my" fault for failure to control my car.
So yeah, not a lot of sympathy when you tell me we where the blame "belongs" for these Darwin-award candidates.
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it may take juries a bit to warm up to the idea of placing blame where it really belongs
You mean the dumbass who walked into moving traffic???
Situations certainly exist where the driver bears responsibility for hitting a pedestrian (running a red light,
taking a blind corner as fast as the car can handle), but let's not turn this into one of those joke arguments
about poor defenseless pedestrians vs the nasty aggressive drivers.
I'll skip the stories of idiot bimbos on cellphones randomly walking out from between two parked SUVs to cross
four-lane roads, and skip right to a real gem that blew me away. Two winters ago, coming home from work, the
roads had a nasty layer of ice on them. I crested a hill doing easily 10mph under, and saw a guy talking to
his neighbor across the road, from the MIDDLE of my lane. Now, I had a good 600-800ft to him, and he had
perhaps a full 30 seconds to get out of the way. I applied the breaks, no effect. So I honked (three
brief taps, not blaring the horn at him) to warn him, and the stupid bastard flipped me off and kept
standing there chatting!
I kept honking and eventually nudged my car into the other lane (thank god for no oncoming traffic) to avoid
hitting him, and succeeded. But seriously - I swear if I could have stopped, I would have gotten out to beat
the shit out of him.
And yet, had my car hit him, any court in the country would have called it "my" fault for failure to control my
car.
So yeah, not a lot of sympathy when you tell me we where the blame "belongs" for these Darwin-award candidates.
Dude, it is failure to control your car, after all. Also, I cannot seem to recall the exact passage in the traffic regulations that says you can run over pedestrians.
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Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Informative)
An airbag is not like a beachball- it's not elastic. In fact, it has to be inelastic for it to work. If in-car airbags acted like you described, they would simply cause the driver's head to bounce back into the headrest, causing massive brain injury. The airbag works by decelerating the head more slowly than the steering wheel would. 40 mph to 0 mpg in a few milliseconds versus a much larger fraction of a second is HUGE in terms of physics.
The best way to protect a falling egg is to drop it onto something inelastic yet yielding- a pile of goose down would work well, for example. Airbags work on this principle (as do crumple zones): Slow the deceleration, absorb the energy (as opposed to transferring it like a bouncy ball), person lives (usually).
A pedestrian airbag would work like that- more a pile of leaves than a trampoline. Find a video on youtube or something of the airbags used by stuntmen in movies- they don't bounce, they deflate.
Hope this helps.
-b
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Informative)
The most notable change you can see is that all new European cars (model year 2009) have an extremely high front bumper and are incredibly round on that end making them look somewhat chubby. Most of them are also made so the bonnet can collapse under a pedestrian's weight while also making sure they don't hit the engine or something on it.
Another very noticable change is that the edge between bonnet and wind screen is no longer a sharp metalic edge on most cars, but has a smooth transition made of plastic.
I am saying this as an armchair crash test fanatic, not an expert in the field so I might be marginally incorrect on some points.
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Okay, so if my car had those pedestrian safety modifications, and a pumapult, would it be compliant? Or are those still not okay?
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I think you need to go outside more often. Really.
Do you, like, subscribe to a newsletter? Or is there a forum for this sort of perversion?
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There's a lot of crash testing out there that trinkles down to the consumer because vehicle safety, in Europe at least, is a huge huge selling point.
Also back in primary school I used to make crash test cars out of Lego, crashed them into walls, inspected the damage, tweaked and so on. After ten generations of the car they became so safe the "driver" didn't leave his seat even without a seatbelt, while the car desintegrated into tiny bits around him. Fun times.
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The world is a big place. I just thought everybody played with Thermite when they were kids.
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I can't imagine that any country with a decent selection of vehicles wouldn't be pretty focused on safety features.
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Funny)
What? This is Slashdot, news for nerds. You need to stay inside more often.
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To my knowledge the discovery was made by accident because fewer people died being hit by SUV's than larger cars, which seemed odd because SUV's are heavier and thus more energy is transfered.
Re:...Not originally designed... (Score:5, Funny)
I think after you hit the first one you are supposed to stop. Hell you could even try slowing down before you hit him.
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Actually most cars now are designed with pedestrian protection in mind. When I bought my Honda Jazz (or Fit, depending on your country) the dealer told me never to press on the bonnet to shut it. Rather I was supposed to drop it on the catch and let the weight shut it.
According to the same dealer it is designed to cushion a pedestrian's head and therefore would dent if I pressed on it.
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So if some guy leans on your hood he does $800 damage?
yeah.... (Score:2, Funny)
and now for something completely stupid... (Score:3, Interesting)
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Car analogy (Score:4, Funny)
In the ongoing spirit of computer/car comparisons, I suggest we install an airbag on computers to deploy when inept users approach in the hope of repelling them.
Actually, maybe I'll just put one of these on the entrance to my cubicle to keep the salesmen away.
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In the ongoing spirit of computer/car comparisons, I suggest we install an airbag on computers to deploy when inept users approach in the hope of repelling them.
Actually, maybe I'll just put one of these on the entrance to my cubicle to keep the salesmen away.
I installed electrodes that deliver a mild shock when they do something bad and a little treat dispenser for when they do something right.
Operant conditioning FTW.
Farmers Markets (Score:3, Funny)
I guess this means I can start going back to farmers markets that don't already have protection from being massacred by elderly drivers.
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There is a fundamental flaw here - your statement implies that the onus is on pedestrians and the locations they frequent to protect themselves (or, worse yet, on drivers to not hit pedestrians).
The truth of the matter is that it is the responsibility of automobile manufacturers to ensure that people not riding in cars are safe at all times.
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You're insinuating that the manufacturers and not drivers are responsible if someone is killed when a car hits a pedestrian? Frankly that's insane, also I as a pedestrian in a large city known for such accidents try to keep up my vigilance to avoid putting myself in vulnerable situations.
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Is this really a good idea? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Is this really a good idea? (Score:4, Funny)
Like most attempts to coddle the clueless, won't widespread adoption of this just result in even more careless pedestrians?
Yeah, those damn pedestrians keep walking on that sidewalk I use for my shortcuts!
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I say we mount spikes on the grills of our vehicles, so pedestrians will know to get the hell out of our way! Like most attempts to coddle the clueless, won't widespread adoption of this just result in even more careless pedestrians?
Agreed. Why not let evolution take care of this? By making cars more deadly, eventually humans will evolve to be impervious to cars crashing into them (and by extension, impervious to crashing while riding in cars). The problem will solve itself!
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Not to worry (Score:2)
A good handbrake slide will catch the pedestrian better as you'll have more surface area, and it'll be a long time before they think to deploy airbags on the outside of your side!
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Would you pay extra for this? (Score:4, Insightful)
I mean, if I got hit by a car, I might appreciate that they'd paid extra for it, but since I'm not likely to hit myself with my car (unless my wife tries to run me down), why would I pay extra?
Unless this is mandated, it won't catch on.
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And I don't doubt that most people would agree with you, right up to the point where you ask them to take their check book out. Or until you ask them to choose this over heated leather seats.
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I don't think it's that so much as that most people will see it as a waste.
First, no one expects to ever hit a pedestrian (I know I don't; I've had my fair share of mishaps while driving but never came close to hitting a pedestrian) and second, even if they *do* hit a pedestrian, the odds of the circumstances being just right for this device to not only come into effect but also help protect the pedestrian are so low it's just not worth the extra money. Better to spend more money on driver training and feat
Dedicated gamers want to know... (Score:3, Funny)
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Re:Great, no more worries about my car... (Score:4, Funny)
Last week in Holland... (Score:2)
...some idiot plowed deliberately through the crowd at a Queen's Day rally in an apparent attempt to commit suicide and take the Royal family with him. Seven people died. Since this was live on national TV, there is surreal broadcast-quality footage that makes it look like some bad movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Vs-9tfkX0 [youtube.com]
First thing in my mind when I read this post. //Dutch.
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Because I'm going to hell anyway, here's a better clip with the street-level point of view. First time I saw this, my blood drew cold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cg5oVVGilM [youtube.com]
Will this just "encourage" stupid driving? (Score:2)
I wonder just how somebody like this [chicagobreakingnews.com] stupid oxygen thief (woman killed a motorcyclist because she was too busy doing her nails to actually drive her car) might think "It's OK if I hit somebody now - I have this airbag!".
Dads... (Score:5, Funny)
Lock up your daughters! A pillow on the hood of the car? As if they needed any MORE encouragement...
It's all an elaborate ploy... (Score:2, Interesting)
You're gonna need this airbag... (Score:2)
because when you're driving through town you won't want to slow down enough that the sneaky pedestrians can bounce off your car just to set off the air bag.
Seriously, if anyone sees this on a car they'll be trying to set it off all the time. Especially if it costs the driver a thousand bucks just to get it reset.
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They're doing it wrong! (Score:2)
The pedestrians should be the ones fitted with airbags.
Funniest Home Videos (Score:2)
Haven't we all seen the one where there's a large inflatable thing in the middle of a lake with a kid on it. A heavy adult jumps onto it from something high, and LAUNCHES the young child in the air like a flailing sack of potatos...
Someone find the link, I hate video sites.
Awesome, but one concern (Score:4, Insightful)
This is seriously awesome. I applaud the good work these researchers are doing. However, this line caught my eye:
The system uses radar and infrared technology to "pre-detect" a collision and inflates quickly enough to cushion the impact, said Roger Hardy of the university's Cranfield Impact Centre.
It seems possible that such a sensor could be duped with false input on the proper frequencies, causing the bag to deploy. This would likely be a malicious and expensive prank, as well as obstructing the drivers view. Of course, it would require technical expertise, putting it out of reach of most pranksters.
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Or start kicking at cars as you cross in front of them stopped at a light to see if it senses the cars speed correctly before deploying? How long does that sensor stay calibrated?
How about just tossing rubber balls into the street? Normally $0 damage but $1000 if you time it just right... Can the driver even sue you if you don't even hit their car?
How about we just call the whole thing a bit overblown?
For those of you who want the spikes in the steering wheel, maybe you can try my 55 ford. With a bench seat
Iron Spike (Score:5, Insightful)
What I really want is an iron spike in the center of the steering wheel. Then the people who should be driving instead of [pick the distraction] would actually pay attention to the task at hand.
[John]
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The problem with the iron spike idea is that most people don't know that the iron spike is going to do them any harm in a crash.
Don't assume that most people have an understanding of physics. Those that do probably wouldn't be driving dangerously in the first place.
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The problem with the iron spike idea is that most people don't know that the iron spike is going to do them any harm in a crash.
Put a nice razor-sharp point on it and I think they'll get the idea.
Followed Almost Immediately (Score:2)
Zombies? (Score:4, Funny)
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what about the front end (bumper) (Score:3, Interesting)
Pull your head out of your A$$ (Score:2, Informative)
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You know, I don't see a problem. I have screen wipers. There are other valid reasons why you shouldn't mow down pedestrians, though, not only do they make dents at a decent speed, they also mess up your paintwork..
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And he pulls #s out of his ass. From the article a hit at 40km/h gives an 18% chance of death (rated at 1000pts). And that with this hood that drops to ~450/1000 (8% chance of death assuming the numbers correlate well).
Oblig... A car is deadlier than a gun
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This sort of safety mechanism is stupid and expensive and really won't do much to save lives.
35% of pedestrian vehicle collisions are the fault of the driver only, according to this review [tfhrc.gov]. Even if we totally discount the lives of idiot pedestrians, approximately 2 700 pedestrians are killed annually through no fault of their own. One can make an argument that that is an insignificant number, and perhaps it is.
I too have seen my share of idiot pedestrians, but let me contribute my anecdote on the incompetence of drivers. As I was walking towards a major intersection, I witnessed a car careen off th
Fuel Efficiency? (Score:2, Insightful)
Points! (Score:3, Funny)
Wait, remind me again: which is worth more points, hitting clowns or mimes? This is gonna be fun!
Re:Ok ? (Score:4, Funny)
Just put a cowcatcher on SUVs.
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Just put a cowcatcher on SUVs.
Good idea. We need them for Idaho stops anyway.
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Re:Ok ? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ok ? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Ok ? (Score:5, Informative)
The problem is, impacts are not predictable.
The "most likely spot" to hit, is actually depending on the following factors:
- Speed of collision
- Braking/coasting/accelerating (braking typically causes a vehicle's nose to dip, accelerating causes it to rise)
- Height of the pedestrian in relation to the height of the vehicle's front bumper/grille.
- Angle of collision (pedestrian motion will be different if hit head-on, as opposed to someone trying to whip around a right-hand turn and blindsiding someone who's crossing properly; angle also changes if you're not at a right-angle intersection)
The other problem is, does this truly cushion the blow, taking the energy into the crashbag and causing the pedestrian to be more likely to remain on the stopped vehicle, or is it more elastic, imparting acceleration back into the poor pedestrian in time for them to slide off the car - now accelerated to a good 15-20mph or higher - and then hit their head on the cement?
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The other problem is, does this truly cushion the blow, taking the energy into the crashbag and causing the pedestrian to be more likely to remain on the stopped vehicle, or is it more elastic, imparting acceleration back into the poor pedestrian in time for them to slide off the car
I'd be interested in hearing what the force threshold for such a device is. Right now I see this as yet another expensive thing to replace when you accidentally bump the front of your car while moving your trash can, a football hitting the front of your car [totalprosports.com], etc.
Realistically, I think that if they set it high enough so that an unintentional bump won't set it off, if you, as a pedestrian, get hit by said car, you're pretty much done for anyway.
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