Ford has been patenting pretty amusing, if rather bizarre, ideas lately. The most recent one filed was the roof mounted battery pack for electric vehicles to allow charging while in off grid adventures. It’s essentially a power bank for EVs, but we’re not expecting it to appear in production models any time soon.
Now, there’s another patent from Ford, and it’s raised a few eyebrows. This time around, it’s technology to make driving while standing possible. Yes, you read that right. So, how does it work?
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On paper, at least, it’s a feature that could come in handy when there is no spotter available in an off-road trekking expedition (pun not intended). The driver could stand up from the driver’s seat, while a series of motion detectors help steer the car in the desired direction. It’s possible that these sensors are mounted around the windshield frame.
Of course, this system wouldn’t be feasible in an SUV with a fixed roof, so don’t expect Explorers and Expeditions to ever come with this feature. Perhaps it’s the reason why Ford used a Bronco to illustrate this technology since it has detachable roof panels. Again, don’t expect this piece of technology to appear on Ford products within the next five years at the very least.
However, this interesting patent does open up the possibility of something else. There is a chance that Ford is looking into controlling a vehicle through gesture control. Mind you, gesture control isn’t a new thing as we’ve seen it in the likes of BMWs and Volkswagens, as well as mobile devices. That said, we’re hoping this isn’t an attempt to reinvent the (steering) wheel.
