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AD&P; > June 2013 > FEATURE > The Building Blocks of Safety > Christopher A. Sawyer Mark III featured a rear brake-only system design by Kelsey-Hayes that used wheel-speed sensors on the rear wheels to transmit information to a rudimentary electronic controller. It modulated pressure to the rear brakes via an in-line vacuum-operated valve, but it also proved too costly and unreliable. Nowadays, ABS is standard on most new cars. The transistor moved electronics forward, but it was the invention of the low-cost microprocessor that sparked the electronics revolution. Without it, automotive safety systems would not be what they are today. Integrating an entire central processing unit (CPU) on a chip or chips decreased the cost of processing power. Advances in miniaturization doubled that power approximately every 18 months. Ignition modules were the frst major application of automotive microprocessors, and this gradually spread to the fuel system with the advent of electronically controlled carburetors. That was followed by electronic fuel injection. As automotive sensors came of age, the CPU's ability to more fnely control systems within the vehicle also improved. However, what once were discrete systems in the 1970s, 1980s and most of the 1990s were quickly integrated into larger-scale controllers that shared information across the vehicle platform. Suddenly, ABS became afordable, traction control moved from brake-intervention units to powertrain-intervention designs, electronic stability control was born, and a whole host of other features arrived on the scene. Today, automakers and suppliers are fusing the data from the sensors around the vehicle to add depth and functionality. As electronics continue to spread through the vehicle, even greater safety will be achievable. It may eventually be possible to create a car that never crashes as processor power grows and vehicles communicate with each other and the infrastructure. However, that day is still somewhere in the future. In the near-term, fusing advanced electronic stability control, electric steering and radar/lidar will make accident avoidance systems commonplace. From there, it is a short road to the fully autonomous vehicle. Though legal and other hurdles— especially the wariness of the driving public and the initial cost of these systems—may delay the advent of driverless cars, as with all of the safety technologies featured, this technology will begin at the top of the food chain and trickle down as costs diminish. We may never get to the day when cars don't crash, but—even 40 years ago— could anyone have foreseen what is now considered commonplace? WE ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD Speed Inspection with the Easy-to-Use ROMER Absolute Arm With no warm-up time or homing procedures, operators can start scanning right away. Because the Absolute Arm has the ability to recognize probe changes, requalification of probes is eliminated. Use the integrated RS2 laser scanner for wireless scanning up to 50,000 points per second. Visit www.HexMet.us/adp613 or call 800.218.7125 for more information. We are Hexagon Metrology. 28