Mercedes Develop Robot Test Drivers For Safety Features

For years, Mercedes-Benz have been at the heart of motoring innovation

, they pioneered most of the safety features that are now required on cars such as a crumple zone, airbags, the safety belt, ABS and brake assist. Although these features are never more than optional extras on modern cars, they all trace back to early innovation at the German motor giant.

Mercedes is testing a new feature that is not designed as a product for consumers, but to assist in the testing of safety features. They have developed an automated driving system that will allow them to put cars through rigorous tests, to the letter, over and over again, something that a human test driver would not be capable of.

The system can be fitted to the entire Mercedes Benz range and the tests will be monitored by engineers in a control tower. The engineers can control and stop the tests at any time but the vehicles are also able to perform self checks and brake automatically if they register deviations.

The system was implemented to provide a more consistent approach to real life testing. A test now has the ability to determine all variations of a scenario and produce much more accurate results. The system is designed to test safety features on the car that only operate in critical situations, to conduct these tests with a human driver potentially puts them at risk, although Mercedes are confident, they would prefer their employees not to be harmed testing features that are only prototypes. The real life tests offer a huge advantage over computer simulations as they test more than just the theory of outcomes, without the inconsistency provided with human testing.

The makers of Mercedes claim they are committed to develop safety features that go beyond meeting international crash test standards. Mercedes philosophy requires their tests to go beyond that required by regulatory standards. With more advanced testing methods, the company will be able to continue to be at the forefront of safety design innovation.

by:Tom Doerr

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