BMW devises smart car door that senses danger
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 7th 2009 7:03PM
posted April 7th 2009 7:03PM
BMW has already clearly shown that it wants to make its cars as smart as possible, and it looks like that extends right down to the doors, which have now been smartened up with a little help from the Technical University of Munich. According to New Scientist, the pair have developed a prototype door that uses a range of sensors to detect any oncoming dangers, and work in concert with an accelerometer in the door to prevent it from being opened. What's more, the sensors are apparently also able to detect the proximity of the object and adjust the resistance of the door accordingly -- for instance, slowing the door down if you're about to slam it into a lamp post. The current prototype does apparently have a bit of a problem when it comes to field of view, however, although BMW says that can be remedied with some added cameras in future versions, which could possibly be in actual cars in as little as a year -- though it's quick to point out that it hasn't made a final decision just yet.
[Via Crave]
[Via Crave]
Great, just what I need, another device that warns me of danger.
Dammit. I tried to post that with the name "Will Robinson"
Guess I can't trick Engadget using the same email address.
thanks for the clarification!
AHAHAH! All you losers cant even avoid simple collisions...
How is it that I can drive a 1970 Chevelle (Big Block) and never get into any accidents!
But yet SAP boy gets into a new BMW with traction control and all that small penis tech and wreck the car in 5 minutes...
You girl scounts can't handle a little power?
AHAHAH please send your girlfriends and wives to me... They need a big man with big penis and big car to show them what it is about!
And that goes for you Tuners also! Honda is crap!
AHAHAH!
AHAHAHAHA!!!,
Sure you aren't a BMW driver? You sure would fit the stereotype.
And this FROM a BMW driver.
AHAHAHAHA!!!
You laugh now, but wait until some distracted kid in their daddy's BMW *nearly* plows into your 1970 Chevelle. Then you might appreciate the tech.
"They need a big man with big penis and big car"
And I thought that the word round the streets was that men get those big cars to compensate for their penis size..
Great, just what we need more complexity which means more failure. In turn means more money for BMW's already wealthy service centers.
BMW, I love you and I hate you.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Want to make some money? Get in a car with electric seats (front ones), put someone tall behind you, move back to the max and then lower the back of the seat till you hear that person screaming.
And then sew the electric seat maker because they didn't warn you of dangers xD
The doors ajar! The doors ajar!
Open the driver's side door, HAL.
Poor E60 :(
It's a Banglized BMW, it deserves it. I am a fan of Bimmers before Chris Bangle took over.
Ugh... damn you, Bangle. E39, E46 FTW! Maybe 1-series... at least those don't look like a case of hormone abuse (E90 I'm looking at you)
Oh, and smart doors are teh über.
@Japanese
I used to hate the E60 but I've come to terms with it. I think the post facelift one looks alright with it's nice flat rear. Clearly they locked the man in a closet when they did the final draft of the E90 as it looks pretty good. But out of all these things, most important, is that he is gone forever!
@gojuas
While we're out with the Bangle designs, im not sure what is coming to replace them is much better. Get a look at the new 7 - not sure what the hell is going on there, think I prefered the Bangle one.
It always pains me to see a hurt 5 series. :(
Dalcébolus,
I don't think you can call the LCI E90 (The facelifted 2009 model for you non BMW fans) ugly at all. It looks stunning. Same for the E92.
@bdav
I agree with you on the F01. The original E65 looked like crap, Bangalized like no other but the facelifted one was very 'E38' inspired (biggest fix being the boot). I think the post facelift E65 looked really nice and frankly, the new one is to 'outspoken' for my tastes. IMHO, a 7 should be subtle, yet have presence; it shouldn't turn heads, but command respect from those who notice it. I don't get that vibe from the new one. I think they should save that sort huge grill nonsense for the M-roadster, show the 7 some respect.
more crap to make cars heavier. thrilled.
Cus accelerometers and sensors are heavy...?
Your groceries that you put in the trunk are going to weigh more than a sensor system EVER could.
"...work in concert with an accelerometer in the door to prevent it from being opened."
This doesn't sound good. I like to open my doors when I want to.
What happens if the accelerometer has a malfunction?
It's not like a malfunctioning Wii controller.
then you just hit the door hard! o wait..
Um... get out using the other door(s)?
great picture
I just hope there's a killswitch for this mechanism, imagine it trying to slow you down while you're trying to get out of your car when a train is coming.
Something tells me that it would be too late to save your ass if the train is close enough for the sensors to detect it.
LMAO!!! Best reply in a looooooong time.. My eyes are watering.
hahaha, that was great. +1 one for you sir.
I can just see all the poor blokes who will inevitably get stuck in their cars if something goes wrong with the sensors, or when we are enslaved by our robot overlords...
What beamers don't need is more and more hyper-complexity like this. They have gotten a lot of flak in the past couple years for being "totaled" for very minor front end accidents. Turns out everything is so advanced, complex, and inaccessibly arranged that it's often cheaper for the company to total it under warranty than repair it back up to snuff. World's first "disposable car" was one newspaper headline.
This seems pretty nice. If you're parked on the side of the road and unknowingly, a car comes by, it won't smash your door off if you try to open it. Same with bashing cars/objects next to you. Not a huge deal, but probably will save people from some dumb mistakes.
best invention ever if it keeps inconsiderate pricks from opening their doors into the side of my car (which seems to be one of the functions.)
Agreed! Also, stopping clueless peeps from opening their door right into oncoming bicyclists without looking first... I know plenty of people who have been 'doored' by oblivious carowners.
That'll be great, if it does, but as it seems more geared towards saving bimmer doors from being smashed into fire hydrants (because simply *not parking in front of them* is for the lower classes), I'm not sure it'll have the field-of-view (or software tuning) to deal with bicycles at speed.
Of course, the good thing about being doored by a BMW door is knowing that the owner is even more annoyed about the dent in his door than you are about your bent wheel and road rash (even if he won't learn anything from it). You don't even get that satisfaction from a 93 caravan.
So... In the event of some oncoming doom, the car won't let you open the door?...
I love german logic..
Will it also prevent the drivers of said BMWs from being total cock wads and parking across two parking spaces, thus earning the doors a keying or kicking in?
someone is jealous
no hes not jealous those people are pricks. if you have to do it you should be in the very back of the parking lot.
http://xkcd.com/562/ problem solved.
Damn Carl, you beat me to it!
Sources close to BMW say the Car Door won't allow your wife or girlfriend to drive
zing!
Lol I remember watching my stepmutter trying to drive my dad's 7-series the first time.... sheer comedy :)
My sister just sold her 1989 Honda Accord. It had 250k miles and it was still running great. I replaced the original alternator a couple of months before she sold it. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling cars these days won't last anywhere near as long as cars in the past have with all these fancy gadgets and computers controlling everything. There are way more things to break than there used to be. I wonder how modern cars will hold up after 20 years.
I think there's a dark period where computers were less reliable, but I think we're past that. It has to do with error detection.
In the past, computers used new sensors and actuators, but couldn't tell if they failed. But, now, they have hardware to detect & report (if you have the right scanner, argh!) errors and work around the problem. For example, I have an exhaust valve in my car - it closes at low RPM to give more power + less noise, and opens at higher rpms to let the engine breathe better (more power). If it got stuck in a particular position, this wouldn't be optimum. Older computers would have never noticed & you'd have a mysterious problem with very few symptoms except less power. But, newer computers can detect if that extra wire+actuator is broken or shorted to the chassis - so now diagnosis is possible again.
I understand most cars now use OBDII which is quite a robust diagnostic system - things like this should lead to quicker/lower service chargest etc, doubt they do.
Is this like Puma Man? He can sense danger, too.
Puuuuma Man, he parks like a moor-on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvgnMyZA4aQ
The BMW doors on this E46 worked well after a few hundred guard rail crashes so I say just take the hit.
And before you comment like the other losers who think this is rich guys goofing off; this was a BMW sanctioned safety instruction event where the cars were previously designated to be recycled.
What if it WANT to slam the door into somebody or something??