Concept cars afford automotive designers the chance to give free rein to their imagination. The Bertone Fib is a design that demonstrates that the future is closer than we think. It combines practical elements provided by SKF and other companies that could revolutionise car design and manufacture. The Fib employs working drive-by-wire systems that encompass all the major systems of a car. Thus, direct mechanical control of the car is replaced by electro-mechanical control. To achieve this, smart control is used that links a combination of sensors, logic and control units to clutch, gearbox or steering systems that are also coupled to the related vehicle stability and safety systems or engine electronic control-unit functions. Some of the elements of drive by-wire such as the braking system are planned to be in production by 2004 through a collaborative project between SKF and Brembo, the Italian brake company.
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