This brake system is the greatest innovation in active safety for automobiles that has saved many lives. 30 years ago I had a Mercedes Benz model, the S-Class, offered as an option to prevent the wheels from locking up when braking suddenly. It was a big step in improving car safety.
ABS is the name of its denomination in English Antilock Braking System. Later adopted by other high-end cars such as the BMW 7 Series. In principle, the device is designed for the landing of airplanes, but it also led to the safety of cars.
This important technological solution was found by Robert Bosch in 1938 who had patented some very rudimentary and slow performance problems.
Bosch in 1964 investigated the current system with the Mercedes Benz company. In 1970 he introduced the first generation that helped reduce stopping distance and built an electronic device technology.
It was a heavy for a thousand analog components and therefore prevented the implementation of a series of cars. With digital technology it was achieved in a small and very efficient way.
Fourteen years later, Bosch delivered Mercedes Benz ABS for the first delivery of a car. At first, the incorporation of systematic ABS was slow in the first high-end models.
In 1981 it was incorporated into the vehicles and in 1985 it arrived in the United States.
In 1986 the Traction Control System was added to prevent slipping when accelerating the vehicle.
Only in 1989 a new generation 70% lighter and more affordable, which allowed the industrialist under pressure to implement more safety for consumers and competition between the car.
In 1989 only 0.6% of vehicles had ABS in 1999 and the Bosch company achieved a production of ten million ABS systems.
In 1998, more than half of new cars had ABS. In 1985, the Ford Scorpio was the first large car to have ABS.
Of the cars manufactured in Spain, in 1993, ABS had the Renault R19 and the Citroen ZX.
ABS was the name adopted by all manufacturers because Rioja consumers imposed. It wasn’t like traction control or stability control (ESP). It was in 1995, another safety system, stability control to prevent understeer and the supervisor.
Currently the firm produces 65,000 units per day of Bosch ABS in 2007 reached 150 million units in 2008 and will reach 170 million.
Now the device weighs 1.4 pounds, about 5 pounds less than in 1978. Thus contributing to a lower weight to reduce fuel consumption and environmental pollution derived from it. Technology continues to provide devices to increase driving safety.