Waymo Patents Softer Self-Driving Cars

Google’s self-driving car venture, Waymo , has patented new technology that would create a softer body for vehicles in the effort to prevent pedestrian injuries from possible collisions.

The patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office , and it reveals how “tension members” would allow the rigidity of the bodywork to be altered on the vehicle.

The shape-shifting cushion technology would soften as soon as it detects pedestrians or cyclists within a certain proximity. If the technology software embedded in the vehicle detects there is a walker or cyclist in danger, it would soften in order to create a lighter impact that could potentially save someone’s life. However, if the vehicle collides with another vehicle, it will remain firm in order to better protect the driver.

“The force of the vehicle’s impact is a primary factor in the amount of damage that is caused by the vehicle,” read the patent granted on Aug. 8. “Accordingly, it is desirable to design a vehicle that can reduce the force of impact experienced during a collision.”

The patented design of the car houses parts which are held together by “tension elements.” These elements may come in the form of cables, rods or springs which will become loose in order to adjust the sturdiness of the vehicle’s body.

“ For example, if it is determined that a bicyclist is about to strike the hood and front bumper of the vehicle, the tension may be reduced for the tension members associated with the hood and front bumper, so as to reduce the rigidity of those surfaces ,” reads the patent.

Currently, there are no tests proving whether such a system like the shape-shifting technology could help save a pedestrian’s life, or if it would increase the safety of the driver inside the vehicle.

This is not the first time Waymo has been granted a collision damage prevention patent.

Just last year, Waymo also filed another unique patent for an “adhesive vehicle front end.” This patent was meant to coat the bumper of a vehicle in a sticky glue-like layer that will cause a colliding object, such as a walker or a cyclist, to stick to the front of the car in order to protect them from secondary impacts that may cause irreversible injuries.

“We hold patents on a variety of ideas. Some of those ideas later mature into real products and services, some don’t,” said a Waymo spokesperson when asked about the adhesive technology patent last year.

Both systems remain just patents and have yet to be confirmed by Waymo to be a part of its final vehicle plans, which are currently being tested in the U.S.