Watch Bose's incredible electromagnetic car suspension system in action
CNET0 HN recommenders · 2018–2021
9.5M views · demo · evergreen · Uploaded 2016-02-03
A short CNET demo of Bose's electromagnetic active suspension, which gave a very smooth ride but never reached the market. It shows the system in action.
HN cites it as the demo of active suspension that was a technical success but a commercial flop.
9:31Around The Corner - How Differential Steering Works (1937)
US Auto Industry
32:35Detergent packs are kinda wishy-washy (Dishwashers Explained)
Technology Connections
41:53Mechanical Computer (All Parts) - Basic Mechanisms In Fire Control Computers
Excelsior10000
18:28The Antique Toaster that's Better than Yours
Technology Connections
19:43U.S. NAVY BASIC MECHANISMS OF FIRE CONTROL COMPUTERS MECHANICAL COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONAL FILM 27794
PeriscopeFilm
11:39The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can
engineerguy
17:08Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud
Not Just Bikes
30:33Origins of Precision
Machine Thinking
4 comments from Hacker News
Assuming road noise is nowadays mostly low frequency noise - BOSE's car suspension [0] might do the trick: "It does for motion what noise-cancelling does for noise" [1]. [0] [VIDEO] [1] [LINK]
For my eye, Bose's suspension seemed smoother: [VIDEO] And it had Turbo-Boost (same video with cue-in): [VIDEO]
Interestingly, I remember this exact scenario was a noted problem for some sort of computer-controlled shock absorbers that I saw on the "Beyond 2000" TV show in the mid-90s. In many scenarios, the shock absorbers could detect bumps and holes in the road and compensate perfectly, resulting in a ride that was smooth as glass. But they still hadn't figured out how to differentiate between a crumpled paper bag and a rock, or a pothole filled with water vs a smooth surface. Otherwise, it was really impressive. Found it on YouTube: [VIDEO] I feel like Level 4 or 5 Autonomous Driving will be the same -- there are just some problems that will never be solved well enough to make it work acceptably.
Funny you should mention GM, they had: [LINK] Bosch had electromagnetic car suspensions figured out 20 years ago: [VIDEO] The car industry is a perfect example of "worst is better". The point about the cheap golf-kart car from China is about how little in terms of material costs actually goes into it. It is $5,000 shipped. In actuality it is about $2000 in parts. The skateboard platform I linked to is already developed, they are supposedly going public this year, not just a concept. If they can get them to pack flat (or flat-ish), they can ship quite a lot of them around the world for peanuts. Add whatever cab, wheels and branding you want to finish it off. All of this stuff is about to become a commodity. The most, and basically only, expensive part is the battery.