Ford’s Future Cars: Just Kick the Back to Open the Hatch

It looks like car manufacturers are going the extra mile to design their vehicles so that the rest of us can have it easier in life. Take Ford's all-new Kuga that was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show earlier this month as an example.

Ford revealed their new first-in-segment hands-free system where the rear hatch door of the car opens (or closes) when you deliver a swift kick beneath the rear bumper. We're not talking about the kind of kick that you'd probably want to give yourself after calling your current girl by your ex-girlfriend's name; we're talking about the gentle, tap-like kind of kick that's will trigger the sensor to get the hatch door popping.

It's pretty cool, right? Imagine the time and effort you can save yourself from having to put your groceries or whatever it is you're carrying down on the pavement or sidewalk just so you can grab your keys to unlock the car and get the door open.

"This is a perfect example of how we’re evolving existing technology to further improve our customers’ experience with Ford vehicles. The result is a practical and unique solution to a common problem – opening the tailgate when your arms are full. It’s a solution that will really work for customers in their everyday lives."

-- Dominik Nical, Ford Europe's security electronics expert 

The feature might seem pretty simple and straightforward, but it actually took a lot of work to get the sensor-activated doors done right. Ford had to commission six months of test "kicking" at their Human Machine Interface laboratory to get the optimum settings and perfect the system. The hands-free tailgate builds on the system of Ford's Intelligent Access push-button start, which lets drivers unlock or start their cars without having to fish out their keys.

Two sensors on the Kuga's rear bumper not only detects the kicking motion but also the person's shin, in order to safeguard against accidentally triggering the hatch to open (like when the car hits a road bump or when an animal runs past the sensor.)

The automatic hands-free tailgate will be launched as an option with Keyless Entry on Ford's Kuga sometime in 2013.

Article by Hazel Chua
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