Brembo unveils artificial intelligence brakes
11/11/2021
In the automotive world, the revolution is called Sensify, it is signed by Brembo and is a radical change in the braking systems, because what was once hydraulic and mechanical with a pinch of electronics now becomes a device made of bits and artificial intelligence. With Sensify, each wheel of the car brakes independently and synchronized, managed by chips and software while the hydraulics are reduced to the bare minimum. The result: the car brakes in a natural and docile way governed by a sensitive silicon intelligence.
With Sensify, the Abs itself becomes a sort of App: a software element that, like other functions, can be customized by manufacturers or even by the user. In addition, the artificial intelligence with which it is equipped understands dangerous situations, learns about the driver's reactions and adapts. And it is inherently prepared for autonomous driving. "There are moments - explains Daniele Schillaci, CEO of Brembo - that change the business paradigm. With the launch of Sensify is one of those days. The difference between Sensify and a conventional system (also of the brake-by-wire type) is the same that exists between a watch and a smartwach. We all agree that there are beautiful watches, but it is undeniable that a smartwatch offers a much broader experience ".
The braking system, which will be marketed from 2024, anticipates the car of the future, connected and electric, but also the industrial positioning of Brembo, a multinational with over 11 thousand employees and over 2.2 billion in turnover. Sensify is the first result of the «Turning Energy into Inspiration» strategy, which, launched a year ago, aims to transform Brembo into a solution provider through an evolutionary path reminiscent of that of tech companies. It is no coincidence that the Bergamo-based company has a research center located right in Silicon Valley and invests about 6% of its turnover in research and development, employing 10% of its employees in R&D activities.
The digital age, the electric car and assisted driving are putting pressure on the auto industry and its components. "We are facing - says Schillaci - an unprecedented challenge". In this epochal transition, the brakes will be among the few things that will remain but an evolutionary leap must be made that allows to integrate past and future: digital and mechanical technology. And this changes the factory which turns into a production lab closer to that of computers and smartphones where software development is strategic.
