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Posted by hipstomp | 7 Aug 2007
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Comments (2)
Nissan's latest safety feature is pretty unusual: a hood designed to protect pedestrians you accidentally mow down. The Pop-Up Hood contains a sensor that knows when you've hit someone, and within milliseconds it pops the hood upwards, as the relatively soft metal will do a better job of cushioning the guy who's gonna sue you than the hard engine block would. Now if only they'd add a transmitter that automatically contacts a lawyer.
Comments
This is not new, Jaguar has the same technology...
Not that unusual.
This sensor-based approach has been under development for at least five years. Stricter pedestrian impact legislation has lead to the need to create more space between the body surface and hardpoints below (engine, bulkheads etc). Two schools of thought have developed - build in extra space and 'soft' impact areas or create a system where the bonnet raises the pedestrian away from the hard points. The latter is favoured by sports and luxury car manufacturers as it allows them to preserve sleeker profiles in their cars. The former method which can theoretically lead to less graceful design is cheaper and possibly more reliable.