ABS is, even today, one of the biggest “advances” in the field of safety and braking systems. Now, about 40 years later, he seems to have a “throne pretender” with the revelation of the Sensitize system from Brembo.
Scheduled for release in 2024, it has artificial intelligence to do something previously unheard of: distributing braking pressure to each individual wheel instead of by axle. In other words, each wheel can have a different braking force depending on its “needs”.
For this, each wheel has an actuator that is activated by an electronic control unit (ECU) that is constantly monitoring the most diverse parameters — the weight of the car and its distribution, speed, angle of the wheels and even the friction offered by the road surface.
How it works?
The task of “coordinating” this system was given to two ECUs, one mounted at the front and the other at the rear, which work independently, but are connected for redundancy and security purposes.Upon receiving a signal sent by the brake pedal, these ECUs calculate in milliseconds the necessary braking force to be applied to each wheel, then sending this information to the actuators that activate the brake calipers.
The artificial intelligence system is in charge of preventing the wheels from being blocked, working as a kind of “ABS 2.0”. As for the hydraulic system, it only has the function of generating the necessary braking force.
Finally, there is also an app that allows drivers to customize the feeling of braking, adjusting both the pedal stroke and the force exerted. As expected, the system collects information (anonymously) to make improvements.
What do you get?
Compared to traditional systems, Brembo's Sensify system is lighter and more compact, with a great capacity to adapt to the vehicle's weight, something that makes it “ideal” to be applied, for example, in goods transport vehicles. rear axle load can vary greatly.
In addition to all this, the Sensify system also eliminates friction between the brake pads and the discs when not in use, thus reducing not only component wear but also the pollution normally associated with this phenomenon.
About this new system, Brembo CEO Daniele Schillaci said: “Brembo is pushing the limits of what's possible with a braking system, opening up entirely new opportunities for drivers to improve their driving experience and customize/adapt to brake response to your driving style”.