New Bose Active Suspension System for Cars

[Audioholics]

Automobile Magazine reports that Bose Corporation has spent the last 20 years developing a Bose active suspension system that would work well on luxury sedans and sports cars. The premise was "simple": Develop an electromagnetic, computer-controlled suspension system that would offer the magic carpet ride of a fine luxury automobile, yet provide the crisp handling of a high-performance sports car. It's a simple premise, yet a seemingly insurmountable (and senseless) task given that the active suspension systems designed by savvy engineers at companies such as Lotus, Infiniti, and Mercedes-Benz in the past two decades have all since been discontinued. From the magazine:

Next, in Bose mode, we attacked the same horrid road, but inside the passenger compartment, we were sailing along on a cruise ship. The teensiest of cradle rock. Looking at a mirror on an adjacent wall of the garage, we could see our LS400's tires chattering and bashing along, as if they belonged to another car, not the one in which we were blissfully rocking along. It was mind-boggling, unbelievably astonishing, no less than earth shattering.​

Is this the next step in luxury car evolution? Maybe. If the suspension system has even the minimum fidelity of certain cube systems we've heard in the past, it will be enough to smooth out most difficult ride issues. Bose has also stated that the system weight will be reduced by 50% within 6 months. I wonder if speed bumps will need to be redesigned?

See the Video

 

[Unregistered]

Better Driving through research !!!! LMAO

 

[Mudcat]

Failure of the active suspension systems on Grand Prix Formula 1 car in the mid 90's lead to the deaths of Aryton Senna, Roland Ratzenberger (spelling), and two others whose names I cannot recall. They were banned later that year by the governing cartel.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

I have access to top-secret, inside info on this. Here's the scoop. Don't tell anyone!

Each wheel will have a small, cube-shaped control module made with cheap, commonly available components. These will control the wheels on very small to mid-sized bumps.

There will be a larger control module in the trunk for large bumps.

The profit margins will be huge (manufacturing costs will be negligible).

It will be called the "SuspensiMass" system.

 

[Unregistered]

No specs will ever be made public we will patent every thing and sue anybody who dares give us a bad review...

you will not be able to add-on to the parts ..well maybe only if you buy from Bose...

all parts will read made in mexico or china (no offence to these countries) but engineered in the USA

 

[nick_danger]

From what I read some time ago, Bose's electromagnetic suspension designs are already in place on the Cadillac XLR roadster and a host of other GM vehicles.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Not THE Nick Danger, Third Eye!?!

Shoes for Industry!

 

[Unregistered]

That seems to be an extremely positive review.

What's your angle?

http://www.audioholics.com/forums/search.php?searchid=61843

Automobile Magazine reports that Bose Corporation has spent the last 20 years developing a Bose active suspension system that would work well on luxury sedans and sports cars. The premise was "simple": Develop an electromagnetic, computer-controlled suspension system that would offer the magic carpet ride of a fine luxury automobile, yet provide the crisp handling of a high-performance sports car. It's a simple premise, yet a seemingly insurmountable (and senseless) task given that the active suspension systems designed by savvy engineers at companies such as Lotus, Infiniti, and Mercedes-Benz in the past two decades have all since been discontinued. From the magazine:

Next, in Bose mode, we attacked the same horrid road, but inside the passenger compartment, we were sailing along on a cruise ship. The teensiest of cradle rock. Looking at a mirror on an adjacent wall of the garage, we could see our LS400's tires chattering and bashing along, as if they belonged to another car, not the one in which we were blissfully rocking along. It was mind-boggling, unbelievably astonishing, no less than earth shattering.​

Is this the next step in luxury car evolution? Maybe. If the suspension system has even the minimum fidelity of certain cube systems we've heard in the past, it will be enough to smooth out most difficult ride issues. Bose has also stated that the system weight will be reduced by 50% within 6 months. I wonder if speed bumps will need to be redesigned?

See the Video

 

[Yamahaluver]

Failure of the active suspension systems on Grand Prix Formula 1 car in the mid 90's lead to the deaths of Aryton Senna, Roland Ratzenberger (spelling), and two others whose names I cannot recall. They were banned later that year by the governing cartel.

Mudcat,

As I recall, watching a National Geography special on the death of Ayrton Senna, it was concluded that a steering link failure rather than a suspension failure caused his accident although the investigation itself had its cons, looked like the most plausible of all the explanations.

Active suspension has been used by Infiniti as well as Lexus in their autos and is also used in rally cars, it is quite reliable and the only reason the F-1 banned Williams from using it was not to give them an undue advantage as the rest of the smaller teams were having a hard time filling the tech void.

BTW, on an off note, Valentino Rossi won the Moto GP with his Yamaha and it is Yamaha first win after 1992 when Rainey took them to it.

 

[Mudcat]

I really hate it when someone slams my slam of B{l}o{w}se. If I was expected to do research on this I would have posted anonymously.

 

[Leprkon]

so do you think there will be a special display track with additional lighting and a bunch of pot-hole defeating hardware and software buried underneath it for the demo rides ?

and then the retailers will refuse to take them system back because it wasn't used in an environment similar to theirs ?? or simply state the owner has yet to complete the burn-in of the system, which would not normally occur until 36,005 miles or three years, three days ?

and all the other demo test systems will actually only be connected to Chevy Cavaliers which will be driven on asphalt roads mounted on clay in high-rain areas where pothole repair responsibility is disputed by two differing counties ?

and how long will it be till all these systems are available on e-bay when their original owners find out that things called "springs" and "shocks" do a better job for a tenth the price ?

I honestly don't know WHERE some companies get certain reputations...

 

[toquemon]

I remember that Ayrton Senna and other pilot that died a week earlier were having problems with the active suspension; and i remember that both deaths were because of it. With Yamahaluver's post i'm not that sure about Senna, but i'm positive that the pilot who died a week earlier died because of it. I also remember that a pilot from Ferrari in those days (Gerhard Berger or Nigel Mansell) had a horrible accident (directly against the containment wall) with flames and everything provoked by a failure in the direction as a direct consequence of a failure in the active suspension system. This system needs a high-tech, very delicate, detailed mechanism (just like a swiss watch) and i don't trust Bose is capable of doing that.

 

[Audioholics]

Personally, I can't afford those cars anyway.

 

[toquemon]

Me neither

 

[dlorde]

I remember that Ayrton Senna and other pilot that died a week earlier were having problems with the active suspension; and i remember that both deaths were because of it. With Yamahaluver's post i'm not that sure about Senna, but i'm positive that the pilot who died a week earlier died because of it..

Ah, how time and memory conspire to confuse us!

Active suspension was banned in 1993 - the ban taking effect in 1994. Ayrton Senna died at Imola in May 1994 when his steering column, which had been modified, broke. Patrick Head, Williams technical director, and Adrian Newey, former Williams chief designer, are still awaiting possible retrial in the Italian courts after previously being found not guilty of responsibility for an inadequate steering column modification.