BMW's Emergency Stop Assistant halts your vehicle if you can't

While it may seem as if BMW and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany just hate seniors, we kind of doubt that's the prevailing mentality behind the admittedly brilliant Emergency Stop Assistant. Said technology is being testing as part of the Smart Senior project, and in theory, it will be able to detect medical emergencies, activate hazard lights and autonomously pull the car over safely if the driver cannot. Of course, we're still anxiously awaiting details on how the system plans on detecting said calamities and figuring out how to pull over without crashing, but one thing's for sure: OnStar just got a lot more outdated.

[pavlindrom @ Jun 8th 2009 10:02AM]

And a Merc is right behind to save the sick BMW driver. I love irony.

[Quantumphysics @ Jun 8th 2009 10:16AM]

On my S550, the car already has adaptive cruise control which can slow the car to a stop - and then speed up again, as well as PRE SAFE which automaticaly brakes if it senses there is a crash coming, and then rolls up the windows by itself - and later rolls down the windows so someone can help if the car rolls over.

Newer cars are getting those features too but its a whole lot of possibility for electrical problems.

[General_Trelane, (retired) @ Jun 8th 2009 10:18AM]

"ON Star outdated"

Such hatred for your fellow car company that went Bank-Robbed...

I can't wait until the local constabulary gets a hold of the device that can shut down a persons car so that they can take bribes from them...

Ahh the self appointed dirty cops of today... smashing!

-Trelane, Esquire, (retired)

[kjb434 @ Jun 8th 2009 10:23AM]

Volvo already has a system to slow it's cars down also. So does Lexus.

I don't like the idea of the car pulling over for you. What if there is no place to pull over? What if the road is on the side of a mountain with no railings (there are lot of those)?

[Kimmo @ Jun 8th 2009 10:36AM]

I hope it has somekind of a system to prevent it from crashing to people walking on the side of the road while pulling over.

[Agent .25i @ Jun 8th 2009 10:51AM]

Seriously? If you're at that point in your life where you fear a health issue striking while driving, and need something like this; there is no way that person should be behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Fucking seniors and more of their bullshit. Most of the vets are dead now. Respect no longer required. I'm just glad there isn't a Country Kitchen in my neighborhood.

[pfuego @ Jun 8th 2009 11:13AM]

@Agent .25i

Wow. I really, really hope that was some heavy sarcasm.

Otherwise, I'm afraid your ignorance is surpassed only by your stupidity.

[Agent .25i @ Jun 8th 2009 11:23AM]

How do you figure pfuego? Wheres the fault in thinking...If your so sick, or in fear of illness striking that you need assist like this that you should NOT be driving. Hire a fucking driver and buy a Kia.

[tsj5j @ Jun 8th 2009 11:47AM]

Agent .25i is filled with ignorance.

Here are some examples of sudden attacks/diseases:
- Stroke
- Heart Attack
- Asthma
- Seizures/Cramps

They affect people of all ages, not just seniors - who should not be discriminated against in the first place.

BMW and the other leading car manufacturers are not fools.
They must have done research before embarking on this, and clearly their research shows enough people get injured by this for them to care.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jun 8th 2009 12:56PM]

Cue the BMW poster "even a Mercedes can bring driving pleasure" where the Mercedes in question is a transport truck with a load of BMWs on its trailer...

[benhc911 @ Jun 8th 2009 1:06PM]

@General_Trelane, (retired)

I'm not normally a grammar/spelling nazi... but bank-robbed? seriously? I'm assuming you meant bankrupt... unless they are looking to banks for new revenue streams o_O

[Agent .25i @ Jun 8th 2009 6:10PM]

@tsj5j

"Smart Senior project"
Aimed at seniors.

BMW, sure they did their homework, and noticed that people, seniors primarily, are having having heart attacks etc while driving. This will just further reinforce the ability for seniors, that shouldn't be driving to continue to do so. Doesn't that scare the hell out of you?

[Agent .25i @ Jun 8th 2009 6:13PM]

Hate to double post like this... but would you want one of the targeted consumers of a device like this to say, pilot the next flight your on? Don't discriminate now.

[kavendano14 @ Jun 8th 2009 10:05AM]

I think they would use the position of the head to know if a person is driving.

[Mitch @ Jun 8th 2009 10:06AM]

Unless of course you use a headrest.....

[Lon C @ Jun 8th 2009 10:20AM]

@Mitch

Because the headrest would prevent your head from rolling to either side or slumping forward? Does this headrest include straps to keep your head in place?

[Jay Voorhees @ Jun 8th 2009 10:26AM]

Lon, mitch is suggesting that the "camera" or detection device would percieve the headrest as the driver's head if the drivers head were removed from the equation, so to speak.

[thatrotierkid @ Jun 8th 2009 10:43AM]

if my camera can have face recognition, so can the car

[Wwhat @ Jun 9th 2009 1:29PM]

Yeah adjust the radio or reach for your sunglasses and the car tries to stop and park, wonderful system that would be.

[Mitch @ Jun 8th 2009 10:06AM]

OnStar has been closing in on outdated since Microsoft decided to jump in with SYNC. Why waste your money on preventing accidents like this when you could just get rid of drivers all together? Make the vehicles speak to each other, they could go a lot faster and travel would be a breeze.

[Galley @ Jun 8th 2009 10:42AM]

That will no doubt happen in the future when we are all WALL•E fat and lazy.

[sam @ Jun 8th 2009 11:16AM]

I wanna be Wall-E fat.

[jonbruck @ Jun 8th 2009 10:07AM]

If the car is taking over in the event of an emergency, why stop at pulling over? Why not drive me to the hospital?

[pavlindrom @ Jun 8th 2009 10:11AM]

You design that car. To pull over all you need is sensors to find a spot to pull over and do it. Then call the ambulance. Getting you to the hospital will take much more technology, most of which is not available or too big to actually put in a car. I'd rather have a car that stops than crash into a pole when experiencing a health effect that impairs my hand movement. Long story short, check it out a lot later, if there will exist that later...

[Aaron @ Jun 8th 2009 10:12AM]

I can't tell if that was a serious question...

[pavlindrom @ Jun 8th 2009 11:52AM]

Sorry, my mistake.

[uclat0mmy @ Jun 8th 2009 12:17PM]

Oh no! The bridge is out! What do we do?!
There's no room to stop. There's only one thing to do-- go faster.
Screeech!
Oh no! The automatic braking system kicked in!
We're gonna dieeeeee! Oh shi-

True story.

[PeterF @ Jun 8th 2009 12:42PM]

Automatic braking system? Is that what you think ABS stands for?

[Mattvega @ Jun 8th 2009 10:10AM]

Why not just drive me to where I want to go in the first place?

[Aaron @ Jun 8th 2009 10:12AM]

That bmw looks nice :)

[digiboi @ Jun 8th 2009 10:12AM]

Will this stop geezers from driving through store fronts?

[Jon Acheson @ Jun 8th 2009 10:19AM]

On the contrary, this will automatically drive seniors through store fronts.

Seriously, I can imagine that the first little old lady who gets run over during one of these automatic pull-overs will not be terribly impressed.

[bioadam @ Jun 8th 2009 10:51AM]

No disrespect to our seniors, but who cares about store fronts when "outdated drivers" regularly plow into crowds of people, like say, us. Pack in some crowd sensors on that front bumper.

[matt @ Jun 8th 2009 11:43AM]

Now why would our seniors ever feel disrespected by being referred to as 'outdated'?

[REM @ Jun 8th 2009 10:14AM]

OnStar already does this. It's called "Remote Slowdown" and it is designed to reduce high-speed pursuits -- a worthwhile effort to be sure.

[Idlemind @ Jun 8th 2009 10:17AM]

it should just shock them with paddles if they have a heart attack, or detect if they have soggy depends...

[james @ Jun 8th 2009 10:18AM]

OnStar just got a lot more outdated? More? Is it outdated? I'm not familiar with it but it seems pretty handy.

[james @ Jun 8th 2009 10:19AM]

Just in time for the baby boomers!

[Jordan Biffle @ Jun 8th 2009 10:31AM]

BMW: We got this great safety system that will help senior drivers and other health attacks.

Government: Yeah, were more interested in having the car pulling itself over for speeding and automatically gives you a ticket.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jun 8th 2009 12:55PM]

Ya rly... Yikes! I prefer my overpowered BMWs the old-fashioned way: sans traction control.

[BratPAQ @ Jun 8th 2009 10:36AM]

Driver: "WTF, Why the hell my vehicle stopped here?"
Hooker: "Beats me, lets just finish this, your hour is almost up."

[rotarydialz @ Jun 8th 2009 10:50AM]

Of course they start with seniors. Then they move on to teenagers. Then it's stolen cars. Then it's speeders. Then it's just everyone.

[Andir3.0 @ Jun 8th 2009 11:25AM]

Isn't big brother fun?

[sam @ Jun 8th 2009 12:01PM]

Um, if teenagers or joyriders or somebody who's speeding has a heart attack/stroke, it would be great if the car stopped for them too?

[good PR @ Jun 8th 2009 11:37AM]

Wow! a non-iPhone/Apple related story on Engadget on the day of WWDC?!

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jun 8th 2009 12:55PM]

Only posted because Apple is frequently referred to as the BMW of computers? Hey, someone had to say it.

[Patriks7 @ Jun 8th 2009 11:54AM]

Mercedes has had this for a long time. What's the big news about?




Oh wait, I forgot. The car industry of America isn't up to speed...

[sam @ Jun 8th 2009 12:03PM]

There's still a car industry in America?

[Magallanes @ Jun 8th 2009 12:19PM]

Yes, Hot Wheels, Micromachines and Matchbox.

[Ben @ Jun 8th 2009 12:02PM]

interesting concept