http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2009-05/05/external-airbag-designed-to-protect...
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May 7, 2009 10:59 a.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork
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May 7, 2009 11:11 a.m. walterj Dork
Is this so they can lower the nose and make cars pretty again?
Wouldn't make more sense to make that "predictive" deployment knock them off to the side? Preferrably using a giant foam hand in a "bitchslap" motion.
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May 7, 2009 11:14 a.m. Strizzo Dork
you kinda have to hand it to them though. there are not many people who, when asked "how do we make this safer?" their answer is add more exploding things
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May 7, 2009 11:22 a.m. neon4891 SuperDork
That must be what the Jag designer was talking about in that one episode of top gear, IIRC from season 1
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May 7, 2009 11:23 a.m. DrBoost Reader
I think we should line the streets with airbags, on everything from lamposts to trees. Then when there is a fender-bender 6,000 airbags will deploy, enveloping everything within a 2,000 foot distance. Now everyone else who is rubber-necking and talking on the phone is safe as well?
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May 7, 2009 11:26 a.m. aircooled SuperDork
Am I the only person that thinks making it safer to hit pedestrians might be a bad thing!?!!!?
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May 7, 2009 11:53 a.m. MrJoshua SuperDork
We could just tie old mattresses to everything like they used to do to trees around here at motocross tracks.
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May 7, 2009 12:48 p.m. andrave New Reader
am I the only one who thinks its a little silly to design this into cars?
I'd be far more interested in manufacturers designing a car that can hit a deer at 45 mph and still make it home....
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May 7, 2009 12:49 p.m. andrave New Reader
Oh and also, if I hit a deer at 15 mph and my hood crumpled and $2000 worth of airbags deployed, I'd be one pissed motherberkeleyer. I'd probably go out and venegefully shoot it and eat it.
I'd think about doing the same if the accident was the pedestrian's fault.
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May 7, 2009 1:51 p.m. pigeon Reader
aircooled wrote:
Am I the only person that thinks making it safer to hit pedestrians might be a bad thing!?!!!?
Same argument that was made with seatbelts and then airbags - people will feel safer so will drive more riskily. The numbers of deaths and injuries continue to go down though.
But yeah, I think it's a stupid idea. Soon we'll be back to the original laws when cars first came into existence, which required a person to walk ahead of the vehicle with a flag or lamp to warn of the approaching car so as not to spook horses.
Hell, rather than make cars safer for pedestrians, make them more dangerous to pedestrians - as if 3000+ pounds of steel, glass and rubber moving fairly quickly isn't dangerous enough! That'll incentivise pedestrians to pay more attention to cars and/or let Darwin thin the heard more effectively. Bring back big, sharp hood ornaments!
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May 7, 2009 3:01 p.m. mad_machine UltraDork
having been hit twice by cars (once a teen while crossing a street on the green, and once the last year on my bicycle from behind) I think it may be a good idea to have the bumper preload and the hood pop upwards to cushion the blow..
I just hope it is something you can reset yourself with a bit of muscle
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May 7, 2009 4:03 p.m. andrave New Reader
like a mousetrap?
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May 7, 2009 4:28 p.m. Jensenman MegaDork
Here's how to get those pesky pedestrians out of the way for good:
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May 7, 2009 6:54 p.m. mad_machine UltraDork
mmrrmmmmm soylant green
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May 7, 2009 11:22 p.m. InigoMontoya Reader
http://video.dragoncontv.com/soylent_green.mp4
This is what happens when my sick friends minds, and video cameras intersect....
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May 8, 2009 10:24 a.m. mad_machine UltraDork
too funny.. that is great!
