Ford Bronco May One Day Let You Drive… Standing Up???
This bizarre patent may be a boon for Ford Bronco owners that drive off-road, but it sure does seem dangerous otherwise.
Off-road-focused vehicles like the Ford Bronco are all the rage these days, and while many will point to the fact that most are what we like to call “mall crawlers,” more and more people are actually taking these vehicles to trails and off-road parks and using them as intended. Those folks are quickly discovering that it takes some skill to successfully navigate more difficult terrain, and sometimes, one must lean out the window or move somewhat out of the seat to get a better view of the surrounding terrain. And that’s where this particular Ford patent – recently discovered by Ford Authority – comes into play.
The patent was recently filed with the official description of “redundant vehicle controls based on user presence and position,” which may not make a lot of sense, at least until you start reading its multi-page, highly-detailed description. The idea here is to allow drivers to continue to drive a vehicle even when they aren’t sitting firmly in the seat, which sounds incredibly dangerous and stupid. However, there is a real-world application where it makes sense.
That, of course, is driving off-road. The patent mentions that there are times when we may not be able to see various obstacles located around our vehicles, which could cause us to strike them or get stuck. This is obviously what a good spotter is for, but this patent takes that concept to another level by introducing a “non-seated” mode where one can continue to steer, shift, accelerate, and brake using secondary controls located along the top of the vehicle while standing up hanging out of the open roof portion of the Ford Bronco, as we can see here, or lean out the side, etc.
It’s unclear how or if Ford would be able to prevent drivers from using this mode in situations other than off-roading applications, but we imagine that more than one person would try to utilize such a feature on public roads, which would obviously be quite dangerous. But then again, it could also make for a pretty cool parade vehicle for one, we suppose. Either way, it’ll be interesting to see if this particular patent ever sees the light of day, as many of them wind up stored away and forgotten, while a few actually make it to the production stage.
Photos: Ford
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