Softly softly approach to crash tests

It might look like a toy ‘bouncy car’, but this big blue inflatable motor is helping scientists perfect new life-saving gadgets

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Inflatable car is being used to test cameras that ‘predict’ accidents

06th July 2007

The device is a vital tool for testing the next generation of intelligent cameras that will give pre-crash systems extra milliseconds to protect drivers and their passengers.

The inflatable is designed for crash tests that leave the development vehicle unmarked. German electronics giant Bosch is using it to prove that its new on-board CCTV is smart enough to recognise what it sees on the road ahead, and then trigger safety systems if it spots an impact is imminent. The accuracy of the cameras will be boosted by adding information from radar units.

“We’re working flat out developing the ‘sensitive car’,” said Dr. Rainer Kallenbach. “It will be able to see what is happening all around it thanks to sensors and ultra-high-performance electronic systems.”

Prototype camera units have been fitted to standard saloons, which are driven into the car-shaped airbag to make sure they trigger the pre-crash system correctly. Bosch says that the project has developed well, and expects the intelligent camera to be available in 2009.