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- RandomSkratch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5All your brakes are belong to us
- opticsnake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Does anyone have a link to the actual video?
- monst, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2where the video? anyone have it?
- iChuckles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Man I love stuff like this. I have been in software testing fro 15 years and have never gotten over how arrogant engineers are. Sadly, even today, there are companies that do little quality assurance. Last year I started at a place making software for some navigation equipment. Before I arrived they had been in business for 20 years and never had anyone doing quality assurance.
It is sad that it happened to Merc. BMW makes a very nice upscale sedan but I will never buy one. The reason? It uses Microsoft's WinCE OS to handle all the features through one knob. I don't want MS, let alone WinCE anywhere near 2 tons of metal traveling 60 MPH. - JPhilipson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The irony...
- ricodued, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1AAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA. Haha. Ha. Oh man that's awesome.
For added hillarity, check out the context ad at the bottom. - Snarf2000, on 04/03/2008, -0/+1Wow, what a mess. I found some other cool Mercedes videos here:
http://www.mercedesfandesk.com - notastat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Yeah im trying to see the video too. Anyway Mercedes Benz really chose the wrong time for a system to 'crash'
Sarah
http://www.losangelesmercedesbenz.net - gmjonchang, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Engineers...hahaha
- Dirtydog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can't believe someone didn't think of that.
-Josh - jin4576, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1this is why you shouldn't totally depend on technology. Sh*t happens.
- ShaneApex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ah a beauty, i love it when a company doesn't do all it's homework and falls on it's face.
- xXRx7Xx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So the thing that prevents accidents actually causes them?
Man do i love irony - Raian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The insurance industry just got a hard-on.
- HerbSolo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Whell - no real translation, but here's what's in the video:
Stern TV was invited to come and see the superior new radar-based crash-warning system of Mercedes. It's supposed to work this way: You're on the road, there's fog, so you don't see what's in front of you, but if there is anything, there's a warning signal from the radar-distance-measuring-system, and you jump into the brakes. - That's the theory.
Ok, they came there and the one to drive the test-car was a "journalist" of "Auto-Bild". "Bild" is a german media-franchise - the main "Bild" Newspaper is a low-quality yellow-press paper, you could compare it to "Sun" in the UK, i don't know the equivalent in the U.S. Auto-Bild is a magazine dealing with cars.
OK, so the Auto-Bild guy gets a microphone, jumps into the car, speeds up - And crashes into the car in front of him. After he curses a little, Mercedes and the Auto-Bild-guy claim, he braked too late, but on the audio you can hear no warning-signal whatsoever.
So they prepare for a second take, and the Stern-TV guys ask, if they can place a cameraman in the back of the car this time. First, they agree, but later, when they believe they're alone, they discuss the matter: (the Auto-Bild guy seems to forget he's still wearing a microphone) "if there's someone sitting in the car, they'll notice there's no warning signal"
So they announce, that for "security reasons", noone but the Bild-guy will sit into the car, and then, still not aware of the microphone, they instruct him "Brake, when you're at level with the plank" - And that's exactly what he does - he demonstrates that the radar works, by accelerating and breaking at a point that's been marked with a wooden plank - the audio again proves there's no warning signal whatsoever.
Later in the show a Mercedes-official admitted, the system wasn't working in the crashtesting-facility because of all the metal in it, and it was a mistake trying to fake it with the low-tech-approach of marking the point with a wooden plank, but he claimed that on the road the system works flawlessly.
The really odd thing is, that a Car-Journalist was part of that plot, but i guess it's only a surprise for those who still believed in the impartiality of magazines that test products, whose manufacturers basically fund the magazine by placing ads in them. - troydoogle7, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Whats even funnier is the advert below?
Looking for a NEW Mercedes car to lease or purchase?
My response.... "Umm no thanks see above"
don't ya just love the internet and the wonders of "intelligent" advertisements! - stokestack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Turns out the guy in the third car put a Sony CD in the player.
- cbradio, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here is the link to the video.
http://www.stern.de/tv/sterntv/549835.html?nv=sb
Anyone care to translate? - dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I love that immediately below the story, there's an ad for Mercedes Benz vehicles. Classic auto-ading at work.
- intensifiedtech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's hilarious.
- msgmsg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1xXRx7Xx, it did not cause the accident. Heres what happened. The first car put on the brakes, and the second and third cars did not. They expected the radar system to brake for them, but problems arose.
This feature does look quite awesome tho, only having it away from steel is better than not having it at all. - r©ain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Cool!
Now all I need to do is make a "stealth" car with a minuscule radar cross-section.
This will cause those auto braking radar using Benz drivers rear end me at the traffic light.
*Ohhhh my neck!!!!!*
Sue Sue Sue!!
I'll soon be swimming in riches! - copperkidd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So if it doesn't work around steel, what are the cars made of?
- sentai, on 09/06/2008, -0/+0http://www.ce6.info Nice work man
- Manveru913, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I dont know bout you guys, but thats hardly what i would call a 3-car "pileup". And yes the picture doesnt seem 100% authentic, somebodys gotta have a video of it.
- t3hX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Where's the bloody video? I want to see it!
- BugMeNot2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I guess you shouldn't drive Mercedes around steel, then.
- battybattybatt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0So far, Although i digg it, the articel reporter should be fired for not rpodiding he VIDEO - this foto could have easlily been staged. What in fact has Microhard said in response to this article?
Now THAT would be newsworthy. - JustinSaunders, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"The test had been done in a hall which was made of steel. This confuses the radar, and the system doesn't work properly,"
Aren't cars made of steel? Idiots. - aznboi04k, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0anywhere i can download this map? i love the new 2007 s class mercedes!
- nene7070, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0funny but the mistake makes sense... why didnt they think of it?!
- sulestis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0nice.
- ketsugi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Would this cause problems on steel bridges, I wonder...
- BugMeNot2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"this is why you shouldn't totally depend on technology. Sh*t happens."
Technology = Hammer, cup, bottle, magnifying glass, tissue... - serpentor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0HAHAHHAH! I love it when something so embarassing happens to such a prominent company. :)
- iSharQ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Apparentlty they tried it in a different hall earlier in the day, but then screwed up and tried it in a smaller, metal-based hall.
Imagine the look on the engineer's face. heh. - hugznotthugzkid, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Who's the dummy now?
wha-wha-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa - Davidbt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0hahaha.... well maybe they were running windows to back the system.
- snapya, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lol ***** pwned
- Chrisms20, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0CEO : What the hell just happened!?
Head engineer : It's my first day. - martmitch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0hilarious stuff, bet there were a few red faces present, we want videos!!!!!
- CharlesFrost, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well it's not the first Mercedes 'accident' that happened.
But they are always funny to hear about.
Just remembering the A-class collapses in the beginning...
*****-cars will always be *****-cars.
At Mercedes they turn even into bigger crap :D - ptknight, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Mercedes demigods will make it work and THEN everybody will follow.
You will always look twice to a shiny Mercedes and wish you had one.
PTKnight gently bows to Mercedes SLR McLaren - RapidEye, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Gawd, when I heard them on the Podcast, I about pi$$ed my pants, I was laughing so hard =-)
Seriously, I had to close the door on my office and rewind it and play it again 'cause Alex was soooo hysterical! - littlefaggy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0ha ha ha ha....
is their a Linux version? - raada, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Nothing like the old snake oil demonstration...
"Can someone from the audience please come up here and test this magical crash avoidance system? (Just remember to brake when you hit the plank...)" - spacebar14, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0LMAO -- Thats hilarious. I too heard it on the podcast. That was so funny !!!! HAHA Alex was histerical, eh RapidEye?
- ChuckRoast01, on 07/02/2008, -0/+0The video would have been so much more call, what a pity.
Chuck | http://www.bluedotcarhire.com - spacebar14, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lmao just watched the video -- "Shiza shiza shiza shiza" hahahaha Shiza means ***** in German for those of you that don't know.
- stuartbryant, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0@ 12340987
Actually, Daimler-Benz bought Chrysler for $46B in May of '98. -
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