Ford files patent for technology to prevent accidental drug smuggling
Automaker Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for technology that could prevent drivers from accidentally smuggling drugs into their cars.
US Patent Application for UNKNOWN CARGO DETECTION AND EVIDENCE COLLECTION SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD Patent Application (Application #20240308426 issued September 19, 2024) - Justia Patents Search
Ford develops tech to stop drivers from becoming 'blind mules'
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ford-patent-drug-trafficking-tech
According to the patent, 'Unknown Cargo Detection and Evidence Collection System for Vehicles, and Related Methods,' filed in March 2023 and published in September 2024, Ford is developing an event detection system for vehicles that includes a processor, memory and a group of sensors for monitoring the vehicle, and is using this system to detect 'unknown cargo' in the vehicle.
The system consists of multiple sensors and microphones, and uses a macro capacitance sensor to detect intrusions into the vehicle, an air pressure sensor to detect the vehicle's weight, and a microphone to detect the sound of something being attached to the tires.
Based on the data obtained from these sensors, the system detects if any baggage that the driver does not know is placed in the vehicle, and proves the driver's innocence even if he or she is arrested for drug smuggling. A unique feature of this system is that it works even when the driver has the engine turned off.
According to Ford, people who commute across the US-Mexico border are often caught and unknowingly transporting drugs. Drug trafficking organizations attach drugs and tracking devices to the cars of people who drive the same route every day, and when the driver crosses the border and parks somewhere, they follow the tracking device and retrieve the drugs. Drivers who are forced to transport drugs in this way are commonly called 'blind mules.'
Even if the 'blind mule' is caught, it doesn't hurt the drug trafficking organization at all. On the other hand, the victim has to make a lot of effort to prove his innocence, and even if he does prove his innocence, he may lose his job and a lot of legal fees. There have also been cases where real smugglers lie and say they were 'delivered.'
Ford's system can also help catch real smugglers: It's equipped with a GPS recorder, and if the system detects an 'unknown package' and determines that there is a business nearby, it will store all the data it obtains from the sensors, including location information, in a cloud-based evidence database.
If law enforcement agencies search the database and find that there is a business nearby, they may be able to obtain surveillance camera footage from the business, which may enable them to clear the victim of a false accusation and arrest and prosecute the perpetrator.
It is not known whether the above technologies will actually be implemented in commercially available cars.
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