New Technology Warns Drivers of Cyclists

10-April-2009

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Don't know about you, but as a motorist, I do find that cyclists (like your in-laws) can sometimes appear out of nowhere to give you the fright of your life.

Sometimes reaching higher speeds than you, cyclists can be just as scary and invisible as you can be to them.

To combat this, BMW are currently working on an intelligent system that alerts you to any impending danger when opening your car doors – in other words, warning you of opening your car door as an unsuspecting cyclist rides by.

So far, so good. BMW have already created a that looks like a normal car door, yet has a metal bar running through it. When in 'normal' mode, the bar is not affected and moves as a normal car door is intended.However, a sensor inside the door detects nearby obstacles, alerting you to any awaiting collisions and restricting the door's 'swing' by making it harder to open.

Even more impressive, the door swings in direct proportion to the proximity of an impending object, e.g. the door may open freely halfway until it detects trouble, but gets stiffer when about to hit an oncoming cyclist, lamp post or in-law.

And the good news is that the technology may not be too far away, however the decision is yet to be made whether this is a viable option for them (i.e. will this be a key selling point for a BMW vehicle?).

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