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Self-lowering speed bumps to benefit slow drivers

 
5 3,147 views Dec 14, 2008

The speed bumps automatically lower for vehicles traveling at slow speeds, reducing emissions and undercarriage damage

The speed bumps automatically lower for vehicles traveling at slow speeds, reducing emissions and undercarriage damage

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A pair of engineers have come up with an innovative way to reduce carbon emissions and encourage drivers to slow down - all by simply reworking the humble speed bump and updating it for the 21st century. Jae-yun Kim and Jong-Su Lee have developed a new speed bump that can vary its height according to the speed that drivers are traveling. The system uses a special damper fitted inside the speedbump that allows the bump to flatten when drivers are travelling at less than 19mph (30km/h). If drivers are travelling greater than this speed, the bump will remain in place, slowing down the speeding driver and causing the car to bounce uncomfortably.

Allowing the bump to flatten at slower speeds reduces carbon emissions by encouraging drivers to accelerate less between the bumps and maintain a slower speed. The system works best when used with a series of speed bumps, such as on long, straight streets. This will help reduce the urge to speed up and slow down excessively in between speed bumps. To ensure that the speed bumps are easily recognised, the designers have also fitted red LEDs around them. This should make them easy to see during the night, as well as the day, and also highlight the fact that they will flatten if drivers slow down.

Currently, the speed bumps are a concept design from Kim and Lee, but with the interest that the innovative design has been receiving from the press, hopefully the duo will be able to find some investors or local governments willing to back their production.

Check out a study that we reported on earlier this year, highlighting how speed bumps increase carbon emissions and damage to the undercarriage of cars, as well as this other system of active speed bumps developed a couple of years ago that unfortunately seemed to have faded into obscurity.
Via: Yanko Design



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Comments (5)

  1. ma_Mike avatar Mike Posted: 12/14/2008 5:42am PST

    Egads! Regular speed bumps are bad enough! We should all sue speedbump companies for needless wear and tear on suspension, front facia, etc.
     
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  2. ma_SuperSkyline89 avatar SuperSkyline89 Posted: 12/14/2008 7:47am PST

    Sounds good as long as they keep them off actual roads and only in parking lots and where normal speed bumps are currently employed.

    As far as damage to undercarriages and front fascias. Yes, they would damage cars like Ferrari's and whatever but on a normal car I don't see how that's a valid argument. I've seen thousands of people go over speed bumps just fine with no scratching noises or any damage whatsoever. I have seen people bottom out at my highschool and university . . . but they're just a bunch of idiots who clearly can't handle puberty and still think lowering cars is cool.

    The few people with cars that come that low from the factory could easily avoid them, just park your car in a spot before the first bump.
     
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  3. ma_samuelesm avatar samuelesm Posted: 12/14/2008 10:55am PST

    The names are Korean. I guess Korea is becoming a lot bigger in the auto industry.
     
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  4. ma_samuelesm avatar samuelesm Posted: 12/14/2008 10:55am PST

    The names are Korean. I guess Korea is becoming a lot bigger in the auto industry.
     
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  5. ma_NaBUru38 avatar NaBUru38 Posted: 12/14/2008 1:50pm PST

    SuperSkyline89: In contries full of speed bumps, suspensions wear faster and local carmakers must reforce them, as well as increase ground clerance. For example: the South American Fiat Uno had a totally different rear suspension from the European one, because of our speed bumps and damaged roads. Since the suspension system took more room, the spare wheel was moved from the trunk to the bonnet, where it remains in brazilian-built 2009 Unos. Fiat thought that redesigning the hood was less expensive than having a weak rear suspension.
     
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