We’re sure some of you have experienced this before – walking to your car and discovering that there is a dent in your door or the rear or even in the front that was not there before. This can occur in parking lots where some drivers might accidentally dent a car and drive off because they know that they probably won’t get caught.
However thanks to technology, that could soon change. A company in Germany called Hella has developed a smart body panel that will be able to inform the car’s owner whenever their car has been dented or scratched. It can also be tied to the car’s onboard cameras and GPS which can be used to record the culprit should you need evidence.
This technology uses a grid of foil-like pressure-sensitive electronic sensors and special algorithms to detect when an accident occurs. However as the folks at Engadget point out, this technology could be used against you as these alerts could also see insurers try to hike their rates and rental car companies to start charging you for damages even before your car is returned.
Hella’s technology is far from ready as the company plans to start shipping it in 2018. The company is also looking to attract interest from car manufacturers such as BMW. It’s an intriguing idea but what do you guys think? Will this be a boon? Or would it actually be detrimental?
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