These Smart Panels Will Tell You When Your Car Gets Dinged

Parallel parking is a perilous business. It’s no surprise when our cars are bruised and scratched up after they’ve been put to rest on the street.

That’s why German company Hella is developing a panel of foil-like pressure sensitive electronic sensors to detect when someone dents your vehicle. The technology ties onboard camera and GPS to record where the car was and take video evidence, according to Engadget. So when you file an insurance claim, your evidence is more bulletproof than the steel on your car. Long term, the hope is to make reckless drivers more careful.

BMW and others are interested in putting Hella’s technology on their cars, but Hella says cars won’t start shipping with its sensors until 2018.

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