1976 Technology
CAR ON A STICK: TESTING ONE PERSON DRIVING TWO CARS AT THE SAME TIME?
I worked at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, MI. In 1976, we had a project to lower the cost of test driving vehicles. The concept was to drive two car with just one driver. We developed a mechanical connection , a "stick", that kept the rear car at a safe distance. I was in charge of the mechanical aspects – the "stick". Force and angle sensors built into the link controlled a steering wheel, brake and throttle actuators in the rear car, such that the rear car drove a fixed distance behind the lead car and the link was just there for safety reasons.
Then we were asked to test the crash safety of the system. Two cars from a flooded plant down south were set up with the link and ran into the Safety Barrier at the Proving Ground. In this test the link came off the hitch and busted the safety chains and went above the lead vehicle. And of course the rear car crashed into the lead car. The head of the Proving Grounds witnessed the test and said, looking at the crumpled affair, "So was it a success? Well, maybe not too safe for the driver."
So I strengthened the chains and we ran two more flood cars into the barrier. This time the chains held and the "stick" buckled in the middle out to the side. A success? Well there might be someone off to the side of the crashing cars. What we really want is for the link to buckle upwards.
So after modifying the link and running tests on the link alone in Safety’s static car crusher, we ran two more cars into the barrier. The link went up this time and everyone was happy - after destroying six cars. However, the system was put in mothballs shortly after that - I am not sure why. Just another example of some of the effort that goes into getting reliability at an affordable price in our vehicles.
