Filed under: Emerging Technologies
Small cars are not as safe as big cars in a crash. It's basic physics: If you put tons of metal around you, of course it's going to take the brunt of a crash. The engineers at XP Vehicles just might change that with their new small car, the Whisper. They say the Whisper "is the safest car ever designed for drivers, passengers and pedestrians." The Whisper achieves this level of safety because it's inflatable.
The inspiration for the Whisper design came from the Mars rover landing system. The car will cost less than $5,000. The Whisper will come in "two cardboard boxes for shipping by common carrier." After you inflate it, the engineers are "confident you can drive it off a 25-foot cliff without serious injury to its passengers." You don't have to worry about a tsunami or floods because it floats.
The Whisper FAQ says "research shows that the metal in your car is the largest cause of death and injury." But what if your car is punctured, will you blow away cartoon-like? They "have a special ballast and aerodynamic design set of features which makes the car very stable." The Whisper runs on batteries or fuel cells and will ship 7 months after they get funding.
[Source: PESN]
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