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Automobile expertise appears to get higher by the 12 months. From hands-free driving tech to in-car leisure, we’re spoiled. Whereas not everybody might use the expertise that’s accessible to them, a lot of it’s useful in case you want it. Ford’s newest patent may also help with one thing you’ll most likely by no means need to take care of, besides as an AI-generated hypothetical state of affairs in your uncle’s Fb feed.
First noticed by Motor1, Ford patented a brand new cargo detection expertise in late 2023 that may stop drivers from turning into a “blind mule,” a time period used to explain an individual who unknowingly traffics medication into one other nation.
A brand new Ford patent, filed in March 2023 and printed September 19, describes an “unknown cargo detection and proof assortment system” designed to forestall car house owners from turning into a “blind mule” for drug traffickers. Blind mules are folks caught crossing the border with medication they didn’t learn about, and it’s a frequent scheme for traffickers trying to get contraband into america with out risking their freedom.
The system would use a mixture of sensors and cameras to watch and verify issues just like the car’s weight or somebody suspiciously standing too shut. If something uncommon is detected, the system would document the information and the car environment for potential proof.
Is tech like this truly wanted, although? It’s exhausting to inform. A report from inewsource talks about varied situations of harmless folks getting used to blindly visitors medication, however there aren’t any exhausting numbers. The federal government appears to be OK in assuming that most individuals who get caught smuggling knew what they had been stepping into, as a latest Supreme Court docket ruling reveals. With fentanyl trafficking up almost 1000 % since 2017, Ford’s patent might show helpful if the automaker decides to place it into automobiles sooner or later.