The direction and speed that the invention of the wheel gave to human life is incomparable. Although the history of wheels is very ancient, from the Vedic period to about 3500 BC, evidence of wheels are found, which were found in Mosopotamia. Since then the wheels have changed their appearance from stone to wood and then rubber to carbon fiber now.
Although it is a disputed topic, when and where was the actual invention of the wheel. Talking about Hindu religious texts, it is also mentioned in the Mahabharata, about 5,000 years old. In short, we’ve gone from wooden ‘artillery wheels’ in the early 1900s to carbon fiber wheels in the 2020s.
However, we are going to talk about the automobile sector here, so it was necessary to mention the wheels. By the way, for information, let us tell you that the credit for the invention of the pneumatic tires used in modern times goes to Robert William Thomson of the United Kingdom, whose patent is also protected with him.
With the passage of time, not only the shape of the wheels changed but the automobile sector and the transport system have also changed completely. From steam engines to petrol-diesel-powered engines and now to electric vehicles, this discovery, which makes human life easier, is constantly changing. Today we will tell you about 7 big inventions in automobile history, which have completely changed the industry.
1- Electronic Stability Control (ESC):
It is one of the most useful inventions in terms of safe driving. According to a report, this technology has saved the most lives and property than any invention, even in the US, this system has been made mandatory for use in every vehicle. Generally understood, it is a computer sensing understeer (front wheels slipping) or oversteer (rear wheels slipping) that automatically applies brakes or throttle in an emergency and allows the driver to maintain control of the vehicle.
Technically, the 1983 Toyota Crown was the first car to come with an “anti-skid control” system, but BMW followed suit with Bosch in its traction control system in the early 1990s and introduced it to its entire model line in 1992. used. At the same time, Mercedes started using the ESC system in its S-Class coupe from the year 1995. Now this technology is being used a lot in the vehicles coming in the Indian market as well.
2- Dual-clutch transmission (DCT):
The first automatic transmission was called “horseless carriage gearbox”, which appeared in the year 1904. But General Motors introduced the first mass automatic transmission gearbox in 1939. Though automatic transmissions are known for making driving smooth and comfortable, their core concept is not comfort but fast. In a dual-clutch transmission (DCT), one clutch handles the even-numbered gears while the other handles the rest.
Evidence of a dual-clutch transmission dates back to World War II, a design designed by a French military engineer. But it was never used in real life. The 1961 British Hillman Minx was the first car to come with a DCT, although it was more of a semi-automatic than a fully automatic one. Well over time this technology gained momentum when Porsche started using it in their 962C car in 1985. However, the Volkswagen Golf R32 is known to be the first modern car with a DCT.
3- Keyless Entry (Keyless Entry):
In today’s time, the trend of keyless entry has increased a lot, this feature can be seen in almost every premium car. In 1980, Ford introduced its keyless system that required entering a number code into a five-button keypad on the driver’s door to unlock. However, the French company Renault used the first remote keyless system in its car Fuego in the year 1982. Then, General Motors brought it to the public in the early 1990s. Now we do not even need to take out the key from our pocket to open many modern car doors, instead a transponder is used, when this transponder comes near the car, with the help of sensor the car door opens itself. and the car door locks again as soon as the transmitter is away from the area. Tesla, on the other hand, has gone a step further by using a card key for its car.
4- Aerodynamics (Aerodynamics):
Ever since the beginning of the creation of cars in the world, engineers understood that the biggest resistance of cars is wind. In the 1800s, land speed racers built cars that looked like they were influenced by boats, and in 1914, Alfa Romeo designed the first such vehicle, but the added weight of the bodywork affected the base car’s speed. did not improve. From 1921 the German Rumpler “Tropfenwagen” (teardrop car) was made which was more successful.
During this time, a number of changes were made to the design of the cars, such as the “streamliner” design used in most cars, but it did not extend much further. After this British researcher G.E. Lind-Walker revolutionized the world of motor racing by explaining the role of downforce in acceleration, braking and cornering. Wings and spoilers now began to appear in racing cars, and aerodynamics and styling began to be used in race cars as well as ordinary cars. The concept of aerodynamics not only gave speed to cars but also played an important role in giving new momentum to the auto industry.
5)- Seatbelts:
In today’s time, a car cannot be imagined without seatbelts. It would not be wrong to say that speed is good only when it is controlled. Cars are directly related to speed and in such an emergency, seatbelts play an important role in safety. It was understood decades ago that how useful this feature is. According to a report, studies conducted in the mid-1980s showed that seat belts significantly reduced the injury and death rate in car accidents. Also recently, a report came out about the combination of seatbelt and airbag, which revealed that both these features reduce the fatality rate in accidents by almost half.
When you set out to find the world’s first seatbelt, you have to go back to the mid-19th century. It was invented by the English engineer George Kelly for his glider. Although at that time a company called Nash, which is now closed, used seatbelts in their cars, most customers asked the dealership to remove the seatbelt, after which Nash declared this feature to be a failure. Later in 1955, Ford introduced seatbelts as an option in their cars, but only 2 percent of buyers chose this option.
A little further exploration, we learn that the world’s first three-point seatbelt was designed in 1955 by Roger W. Griswold and Hugh DeHaven. However, later the Swedish company SAAB successfully started using seatbelts as a standard feature in their cars for the first time. A few years later, in 1958, Swedish inventor Nils Bohlin developed the modern three-point seatbelt for the Volvo, which is used in today’s cars.
6)- GPS Navigation:
There was a time when people used to walk on unknown road asking for the way or use maps/maps. But that all changed when the Japanese company Mazda used the US Army’s Global Positioning System (GPS) in 1990 only in Japan’s Yunos Cosmo. Earlier, automakers had come up with new ways to use maps. Toyota’s CD-ROM navigation system for GPS navigation also appeared, which stored maps in its memory and displayed them on a screen using a color display.
Well, technology has evolved over time to the point that almost every hand (in the form of a smartphone) has a GPS navigation system. The same technology was also used by automakers in cars through a display, which you can connect to Apple Car Play, Android Auto, etc. to facilitate the way. Undoubtedly GPS navigation has made the driving experience of every car driver even better, and now you don’t have to stop at every street mode and ask for the way. Rather, the melodious voice of the navigation system keeps telling you the way.
7)- Disc Brakes:
Balanced braking with high speed is most important in cars. Drum brakes can usually be seen in cheap and old cars, but today’s modern cars have a trend of disc brakes. Simply put, a drum brake consists of a cylinder that pushes the brake pads outwards, inside the cylinder, which is known as the drum. Whereas a disc is used in disc brakes and the brake pads are clamped from both sides. This pressure is more smooth and proportionate, which makes it easier to apply the brakes smoothly.
Also disc brakes last longer, especially under heavy use, recover faster after getting wet, and don’t overheat easily. Looking at history, the first example of a disc brake is seen in the United Kingdom in the year 1890, but it was not as practical, because Frederick William Lanchester, who made it, used a copper disc in it. They were then developed for motorcycles but were used longer in trains in the 1930s.
During the 1950s, the American company Chrysler used a non-caliper-type disc brake on some of its racing car models. At the same time, the British company Jaguar used Dunlop disc brakes in its car involved in the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1953. The C-Type was the first car at that time to reach 100 mph and provide balanced braking. However, the world’s first mainstream car with disc brakes was the Citroen DS.
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