Full Information on Mercedes ESF 2009

While it can sometimes go unnoticed, Mercedes is one of the leaders in safety technology. Mercedes vehicles are among the safest in the world, and the company is looking to continue that tradition in the future. To help consolidate it's ideas for the future, Mercedes has built the ESF 2009, based on the S-Class (what is already the company's safest). The ESF 2009 is the first experimental safety vehicle to be built by Mercedes since 1974.

That is a long time between the two vehicles, isn't it? Vehicle safety has made huge leaps since 1974. Given that previous ESF vehicles have heralded features to come, Mercedes could be trying to signal that this is something they seriously intend to bring to market. I can't wait to see the technologies introduced on this car implemented in a production vehicle.

There are so many new features on the ESF 2009, and a lot them are unique to Mercedes, focusing on the company's much-touted PRE SAFE accident avoidance/preparation system. In the ESF 2009, PRE SAFE can actually move passengers towards the center of the vehicle via air chambers in the side seat bolsters.

This is said to reduce acting forces on the torsos of passengers by one third. New airbags also make their debut in the front between the passengers (there is new protections for the rear passengers as well, but not with an airbag) and in the seatbelt which Mercedes has dubbed the "belt bag".

Perhaps the most innovative of the new technologies is the "Braking Bag", an additional stopping brake mounted under the front of the vehicle. If the PRE SAFE sensors determine that an accident is unavoidable, the bag will deploy, helping to reduce nose dive as well as increasing friction to stop the vehicle. This will  help to reduce the severity of an impending crash significantly. Of all the ideas, I'd like to see this one implemented the most.

PRE SAFE even carries into the vehicle's structure, where inflatable metal crash bars reside in a folded state to save space. In the event of a collision, a gas generator builds up pressure to inflate the crash structures within fractions of a second.

Other features include vehicle-to-vehicle communication and a spotlight lighting system. The communication system is something Mercedes and other automakers have been working on for quite some time. The spotlight system adds an LED main beam that, in the manner of a spotlight, can specifically illuminate a hazard in the road ahead like a deer or pedestrian.

Good work Mercedes, it's always good to see progress being made in the area of safety. With all the technology we have at our disposal, we should use it to help ensure the vehicles of tomorrow are the safest they can be. Interested in seeing these new features in action? Mercedes has made some promotional videos to demonstrate.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeE3HskwiFY

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