Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for an autonomous foot chase system that may be used in future Ford police vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on December 21st, 2022, published on June 27th, 2024, and assigned serial number 0208544.
The Ford Authority Take
In recent months, The Blue Oval has filed several patents aimed specifically at future Ford police vehicles, a list that includes ideas for a vehicular bailout detection and mitigation system, a system capable of communicating with police during traffic stops, and a vehicle enabled officer assistance system. Now, this newly filed patent keeps that trend going by introducing another idea that may one day be used in future Ford police vehicles – an autonomous foot chase system.
These days, some criminals tend to flee when police officers exit their vehicle and approach the suspect’s vehicle on foot following a traffic stop, which essentially leaves officers with two choices – either return to their vehicle and pursue them, or simply go after them on foot. Trouble is, there are times when the suspect tries to escape via areas where a vehicle can’t travel, leaving the officer with no choice in what can quickly turn into a dangerous endeavor – or, at the very least, one that leaves them far away from their vehicle.
Thus, this system would help in that manner by monitoring traffic stops and automatically determining if an officer has embarked on a foot chase. If that is the case, the vehicle would then be able to track the officer and follow them autonomously, at least on roads that it’s capable of traveling on. When the officer apprehends a suspect, the system would then be able to provide them with directions on where the vehicle is located, making it a bit easier to wrap up that apprehension, too.
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