“Apple just got a very unusual patent,” Hope King reports for CNN. “It’s for a ‘steering device’ on large vehicles with pivot joints to help them turn. Think of accordion buses or the way semi-trucks work. But according to the approved patent filing published Tuesday, the invention could be intended for vehicles in a ‘war situation.'”
“So what gives?” King reports. “While the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple the patent, the original application was approved last year for BAE Systems Hägglunds Aktiebolag, a Swedish subsidiary of the huge global defense company. The invention is designed to better connect and steer two compartments of a vehicle inside a special ‘ballistic protection’ enclosure.”
“Russell Phillips, an author of military tech books, believes the proposed tech is designed to improve something like the Bandvagn 202, an all-terrain truck used by the Swedish army,” King reports. “t’s unclear why Apple would want a device that seems to serve such a specific military purpose. ”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Because, when you actively steer the rear wheels into turns, you could potentially save energy by reducing friction on the tires during turns, improve handling, make the vehicle easier to steer, and gain the ability to turn on a dime.
For example:
SEE ALSO:
Apple granted their first vehicle-related patent – August 9, 2016
