2009 Mercedes-Benz ESF Concept Vehicle Makes Its Debut

The first details have emerged today of a vehicle that's being called the Mercedes ESF 2009 Concept – a model that will reportedly be unveiled next week and one that demonstrates Mercedes' ongoing commitment to develop the safest vehicles in existence. It's based on the new Mercedes S400 Hybrid, and it features a number of innovative safety enhancements, starting with an inflatable brake under the vehicle that in the event of an accident, helps create friction and thus, slow the vehicle down more quickly.

Also present are additional airbags, both up front and on the rear seatbelts; but aside from these additions, little else is know about the 2009 Mercedes ESF Concept at present.

We will of course keep you posted as new details are released (as noted above, more info should be coming by next week).













2009 Mercedes-Benz ESF Concept Vehicle Makes Its Debut | eMercedesBenz - The Unofficial Mercedes-Benz Weblog


M

Sounds interesting..looks crazy..and cool

The braking thing sounds crazy. Like a jet or race car... Love it.

Wow it just looks stunning! Like a W221 rally-car! Love that!

As far as the rest goes... Interesting, this brake thing. Inflatable, but what is the "sole" made of?

I don't know if the governments will be too happy to see the car destroying their precious and expensive roads...

The airbags, well... sounds a bit excessive, but if that works!

I wonder if the noverlties are only added equipments or if structural improvements were made.

Here are the originals.

W116 ESF


W126 ESF

I'll buy the W126 ESF now.

M

I bet that almost all the tech here will make it to the next S-Class.

Somewhere in Stuttgart lies the next generation S-Class.

Hopefully, that next generation S-class will look like this



IMO, its clear that the F700 isn't just another concept- much of the design will make it into the next E-Class- at least I hope!

M

Bruno Sacco was in charge of the original ESF program at Daimler. He previously had worked 5 years under Mercedes safety guru Bela Barenyi.

The results were presented at the 5 th ESV conference on June 4, 1974 in London.

The 21st ESV conference is coming up next week in Stuttgart. That's where the ESF 2009 will likely be presented.



21st Enhanced Safety of Vehicle Conference: Information

Press invitation:

http://www.esv2009.com/uploads/media/Press_Invitation.pdf

Some more details in AMS about this research car:

Mercedes ESF 2009: Braking Bag | auto motor und sport

- Inflatable side structure:
The structure is "folded". inc ase of a crash, a gas generator builds pression into the folded tube and thus make it unfold.
Increased rigidity, and less weight (500gr per door). However the gas generators are too expensive for now.

-Braking bag:
Released by Pre-Safe if the crash cannot be avoided. It's placed in the middle of the front axle.
it increases the deceleration force ( 20m/s more braking force)

In the mean time it also rises the car's front from 8cm, so that it doesn't dive and collapse under the truck for instance.

At a speed from 50 km/h, this braking bag has the same effect as if the crumple zone was 18cm longer, according to Mercedes' calculations.

Currently being tested IRL under a C-Class.

- Pre-Safe Pulse:
pushes the pessengers to the middle of the car (if sidecrash) from 50mm by the mean of an inflatable compartment in the high-zone of the seat.

It's based on the Active Seats (seats inflated in the opposite side of a corner) currently used by Mercedes.

-New LED headlamps with Spotlight Function:
Around 100 LEDs in each headlamp. Linked to the Infrared camera. Works so as to avoid blending the oncoming traffic.

The Spotlight Function can, in addition to lighting the road, move some LEDs so as to lit a particular thing on the road like a pedestrian for instance, so that you can't miss it.

-Car-to-car communication
Weather, accidents communicated from a car to another.
A test is to start in Germany, till 2012, with other German carmakers and overall 400 vehicles (in the Frankfurt/ Rhein am Main area).

- Belt Bag
A kind of airbag is integrated into the seatblet (in fact, more an inflatable belt) to reduce the strength of the belt on the body during a crash.

- Child Cam:
A camera in toe ceiling of the car is filming the rear bench, so that the front passenger can see the childrens behind them at all time (Big Brother is watching you! this will be nice for James Bond, too, just link it to a recorder...).

- Interseat protection:
Airbag to separate the two passengers from each other in case of sidecrash. For the front and rear passengers.

- Pre-Safe 360°:
In case of detection of a rear crash, Pre-Safe brakes the car (even if it is already stopped) so that it won't move into the car in the front because it has been rammed from behind and the driver didn't react fast enough.

- Side Reflect:
Reflective elements. Invisible at daylight. Integrated in the side of the car, interior of the door, and tyres too.

- Size-adaptive airbags:
The front passenger Airbag can adapt its size the the size and position of the passengers. Three lines of captors to detect it.

Almost makes you want to crash the damn thing..to see and feel all the tech..

Lol in 2012 you probably will as much of this tech will certainly make it to the new S-Class. This car is an act of MB flexing their muscles, giving us a hint of what's coming. Plus there is Pre-Scan and tons of other alien technology we've yet to know of.

Wow..just wow!

Lol the damn thing glows..
Some Rice tuners will be very happy..justifying their Xmas lights as safety