Ford patents system that sends rescue DRONES to jumpstart dead car batteries 

The next time your car breaks down, just look to the sky – Ford could unleash rescue drones to charge dead batteries from vehicles stranded on the side of the road.

The US automaker published a patent on Tuesday for a system that uses aircraft equipped with three-pronged hands that open the hood to apply jumper cables or a direct charge.

The document describes the vehicle, whether a passenger or a commercial vehicle, detecting a low battery and sending a signal to a central computer that directs a fleet.

Ford suggests using the vehicle’s GPS location to direct one of the drones to the car, which will capture footage of the scene and relay instructions to its fellow machines.

Ford is pumping out patents for various drone applications, suggesting it could eventually develop its own powered machines, with one in 2018 that would use the UAVs to guide driverless vehicles.

The recent patent was originally filed in 2017, but has now been published – Ford authority saw it for the first time.

The paper notes that this system would be ideal for vehicles that break down in remote areas.

The computer receives a low battery signal from the vehicle and sends a message to the driver asking if they need assistance.

If the driver is, the computer uses the car’s GPS to determine its location and sends the drones into the air.

Drones are equipped with electrically guided end effectors that are connected to the battery and provide charge to power the depleted battery.

Ford received a patent in February for a system that causes the vehicle to repossess itself.

It describes a car that drives itself back to the showroom or a scrapyard if the owner doesn’t answer messages about his overdue bill.

The US carmaker would start the process by disabling “comfort features”, playing sounds in the car and restricting where the vehicle is allowed to drive.

Ford received a patent in February for a system that causes the vehicle to repossess itself. It describes a car that drives itself back to the showroom or a scrapyard if the owner doesn’t answer messages about his overdue bill

If all else fails, Ford activates the self-driving feature and the owner has no choice but to give up the car.

While patent filings don’t always turn into real-world services, Ford describes using a “seizure computer” that can be installed to take control of functions.

Ford would try a non-intrusive method of notifying the owner of their overdue account by sending a message to the car or a smartphone.

If these messages are ignored, Ford will turn up the heat by turning off features like music and air conditioning, hoping the owner will feel uncomfortable and make payments.

The next step is to play annoying sounds, such as buzzing or buzzing, in the car when the driver is behind the wheel, which will play until the vehicle is turned off.

The next step in Ford’s master plan would be to restrict access to the car on certain days or times.

The patent also notes that the system could render the car useless on weekends, but would allow the driver to commute to work in an effort not to hinder the individual’s ability to make payments.

And the last step is to let the vehicle take itself back.

According to the patent, if the car has a high mileage, it would drive itself to the scrap yard to be recycled.