Google's self-driving car may be equipped with "Human flypaper"- Sam Stromness 1st period

An interesting report from Silicon Valley has released information about a recently approved patent by Google, relating to the "self-driving cars" they are currently developing. Recognizing the intrinsic risk for pedestrian related collisions that is associated with any vehicle, Google devised an rather unorthodox solution to minimize, both quantity and severity of, the injuries a pedestrian would sustain in the event of a collision. Currently, in pedestrian-vehicle accidents, the person hit is usually carried forward by the hood of the car until the driver brakes or slows; the victim's persisting momentum will typically continue propelling them along the car's previous trajectory, until they intersect with pavement or another similarly imminent obstacle. This second, more forceful strike, resulting from the victim being launched off a car's front (and into the ground), is usually far more injurious than the damage inflicted by the car's initial blow. In response, Google has devised a protective mechanism to be applied to the front portion of their cars that functions much like a seat belt for thepersonbeinghit hampering the ability of forward momentum to cause any additional trauma. This mechanism is affectivly "Human flypaper". The feature is essentially a sticky coating that would adhear the object (usually person) of collision to the hood of the car so they dont fly forward encuring aditional injuries. The adhesive would have an eggshell like coating that would require substansial force to break thereby activating the adhesive.

analysis: This new advancment by google demonstrates the "technological revolution" we are in and is the product of us living during a time with a historically unprecidented rate of advancement especially in the field of technology. Much like many of the movements during the industrial revolution, we are in a period where we are struggling to impliment saftey measures that keep pace with our rate of industry progress.

link-http://www.mercurynews.com/drive/ci_29905115/google-patent-protects-pedestrians-from-self-driving-cars