Ford’s future line of autonomous vehicles could come with a retractable table with built-in airbags

Ford’s Motor company could resemble a kitchen or office conference room. The automaker patented a retractable table with airbags for use in self-driving cars. Since the drivers need not pay attention to the road, seats could be configured to face inwards around the table that passengers could use eat, play, play cards etc. The table would be able to retract into a floor of the vehicle when not in use. The patent said the table would be able to work in either a body on frame or unibody vehicle.

Safety Features

Ford is serious about self-driving cars, that is not only intelligent but are safer for you. Recently Blue Oval filed a patent for a retractable table that will have inbuilt built-in airbags that will cushion passengers in an event of collision.Based on the patent design, Ford’s idea of safety feature appears straightforward. Inside the self-driving vehicle has to seat for multiple individuals, with center portion housing the retractable table.

The airbags themselves are placed on edges of the table to automatically deploy, should the autonomous car be involved in an accident. This will soften the blow for passengers inside the vehicle and keep passengers from hitting the table It would inflate in case of a crash to “absorb energy” and “reduce the likelihood of the occupant impacting the table during the vehicle impact.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that patents do not automatically mean that these kinds of technologies will make it into production immediately. Think of these as ideas that manufacturers want to keep for themselves for future use in case the means to build them have been made available. So far, Ford has yet to test a self-driving car that features a lounge-like interior.

The car table patent is a glimpse into what future robot cars could look like but does not mean that Ford will bring it to market.

“We submit patents on innovative ideas as a normal course of business,” a Ford spokesman said in an emailed statement. “Patent applications are intended to protect new ideas but aren’t necessarily an indication of new business or product plans.”