Before shipping the ESF 2009 concept home to Germany, Mercedes-Benz demonstrated some of the vehicle’s futuristic safety features for reporters in New Jersey.
This included the Child Protect System, which uses steel-reinforced padded bolsters around a child-safety seat for children between ages 3 and 12. This special seat protects car parts from penetrating the interior during an accident — essentially a padded tank for your child.
The ESF crew also showed off active door supports, which extend on the sides of the vehicle 20 to 30 milliseconds before a crash, and airbags near the driver’s headrest to protect the heads of the driver and passenger during a rollover.
“Virtual crumple zones” and radar sensors make up the “Pre-Safe 360 system,” which senses the impact of other vehicles before they happen and sends out warning signals such as flashing the lights, applying the brake or triggering a neck-protection system to prevent whiplash.
Mercedes-Benz did not make any prices clear, but these systems are likely expensive, and most will not reach the market for several years, though the automaker says to expect the child-safety seat in possibly three years.
Mercedes-Benz ESF 20009 Tests Future Safety Technology (Wheels)