This Simple Vacuum Brake Could Be The Future Of Making Cars Stop

Since no one actually pays attention to driving these days, manufacturers have been pushing forward with autonomous braking technology in an attempt to reduce crashes. Volvo is, unsurprisingly, at the forefront of this new safety technology, and the new XC90 features some crazy gizmos designed to keep you out of harm’s way.

It’s another Swedish company, though, that has come up with one of the most intriguing safety mechanisms we’ve seen in a while. This vacuum brake, built by Autovil, is said to reduce stopping distances by up to 40 per cent at speeds of up to 40mph in wet, dry and icy conditions. The reason it can’t be used at higher speeds is because the g-forces it generates would do bad things to your insides… assuming the seatbelt even held up.

It works by connecting to your car’s automatic braking systems, and deploys when the onboard computer senses an emergency braking situation. Obviously one of the worries Autoliv will be facing is how its system will cope when all the gravel and gunk that litters the road gets sucked up inside the hose, but since this is only at the prototype stage, there’s plenty of time to address this problem.

In an age of increasingly electronic countermeasures, it’s actually quite refreshing to see such a mechanical solution arising.

Source: Jalopnik