Waymo patents auto-softening self-driving car shell

Google's self-driving car spin-off Waymo has patented a self-driving vehicle that'softens' when it is about to hit a person. The patent, awarded to the firm last week, describes a flexible car shell material that lowers its rigidity before crashes to cushion its impact on pedestrians or cyclists. The patent states the material's design will limit the damage caused by vehicles during collisions. Google's self-driving car spinoff Waymo has patented a'softening' self-driving car shell. The design uses several'tension members' (horizontal lines above) - such as cables - that keep the car's exterior rigid under normal conditions.