Bronco safety screens in the works
Ford applies to patent spring-loaded protective measures for more off-road fun
Engineering departments of automakers are hotbeds of weird and wonderful ideas, some of which never see the light of day, but are fascinating nonetheless. Case in point: Ford has decided to seek patents for a screen-door system on its Bronco off-road rig.
It's not as out-in-leftfield as it may sound. According to documents unearthed by sleuths at The Drive, the system would contain a set of screen doors which would unfurl to cover open areas when the metal doors and roof of the vehicle are removed. Apparently sensors would be smart enough to know if the path is clear before activating a series of motors and extending the screens from their spring-loaded homes.
An image in the patent filing suggests the screens could not only cover the door openings, but also the open areas left after Bronco's roof is taken off.
What's the point? Safety, for starters. If a group of buddies are tackling Hell's Revenge in Moab and the driver makes a critical error while clambering over a rocky obstacle, screens like these are likely to help keep passengers and their limbs inside the rig as it pinwheels down the Utah landscape. The patent suggests the spools for the screen when they are rolled up could be fitted with airbag-style components to deploy these screens in a hurry.
There are certain elements of the great outdoors best left outside when free wheeling in a rig like the Bronco — bugs and flying stones are just two examples.