Off- road ejector seat to bring slapstick to safety

You’ve possibly heard about protective hoops that some sports cabrios use to avoid head- squishing at speed in the event of a roll- over. Using a small pyrotechnic charge, the hoops spring up — and, theoretically, over — the occupants if the car’s safety system detects its wheels are where the roof should be.

The Ford Motor Company has now taken one step further. Well, in patent form.

As if cribbing from James Bond- creator Ian Fleming himself, the FoMoCo is seriously looking into designing an ejector seat for its big F150 truck.

The ejector seat design’s application would be best suited to hardcore offroading, says the manufacturer. The idea is that sensors onboard can calculate when the vehicle is beginning to roll either laterally or longitudinally, and eject occupants to safety. Sensors monitor the vehicle’s topographical surroundings and will make an executive decision on whether ejecting occupants away from the truck is likely to do them more harm than have them remain inside.

Should the system come to fruition, it would up the numbers attending hardcore off- road events. The idea of an F150 depositing its driver at the side of a track is something that would attract the crowds.