Damn it!

I would have loved a car with that suspension. That's is seriously smooth.

*related http://videosift.com/video/Bose-active-suspension-doesnt-just-handle-bumps-corners

Bose active suspension doesn't just handle bumps & corners has been added as a related post - related requested by eric3579.

Never understood why this didn't become standard issue on ambulances and other sorts of emergency vehicles, though...

Love when it ollies the 2x4.

Although, I can't see it allowed on the roads. You could safely ignore speed bumps at highway speeds...

Wow, Bose does other stuff beside audio.

I'm very confused by that bit. Was that bunny hop activated by the driver (how?) or autonomous (and again, how)?

My guess would be either a rapid braking then accelerating, or vice versa. Whatever suspension tech is causing the body to stay level is employing some force to counter the normal pushes upwards or downwards by the bumps, turns, etc. I assume that by quickly manipulating those compensating forces you can cause this effect.

That car reminds be of the buggy in Moon Patrol/

The first thing you need to understand is the suspension doesn't use springs or shock absorbers. The whole thing is linear electric motors on each control arm. (Great huge solenoids) The suspension moves up and down independent of weight or inertia. It works fast enough that it starts to compensate for bumps BEFORE the tires hit the bump.

This system has more in common with a 1965 Impala with hydraulic rams bouncing in a parking lot than a conventional car suspension.

For the most part, it scans the road ahead.
See a dip down? Extend the wheel.
See a bump up? Retract the wheel.

I'm fairly certain the ollie was manually instigated by the driver.
Much like hitting the turbo boost on K.I.T.T. it's just a button and the computer does the jump.

Press button:
Retract the wheels, starting with the front. (to maximize suspension travel)
Push down hard on front, then rear wheels. (Launch car up)
Retract front then rear wheels. (tuck the wheels up)
*car passes over 2x4*
Push down on front, then rear wheels.(ready for touchdown)
*tires hit pavement*
Retract front, then rear, wheels slowly to absorb impact.

@Payback -- that helps with the "how", thanks.

A big part of my confusion was/is from how it started the hop *before* it got close to the object. Without driver input that would require sensors aiming ahead (some mix of cameras, sonar, laser range, etc.) that I can see being a part of a car built around such a system from the ground up, but would go beyond the scope of a drop-in "suspension replacement".

But I can see a reactive suspension system working like that -- it has a computer control unit that normally just responds to sensors in the suspension (reactive rather than predictive), but has a button that can manually initiate that maneuver just like you described. In that way I guess it isn't that much different from a Tesla Model S "insane mode"; driver initiates it and the computer (and car) does the rest.

Interesting.

Oooo...cool. I work at Bose - cool to see the suspension system in the top 15.

And you guys are right, the hop is built into the control system for the suspension system. It's just a little subroutine activated by a switch in the dash. As far as I know, that is. The project was shut down long before I started at the company.

Looks like a happy car going over those bumps

and police spikes.

I totally want it now...

I wonder if newer high end linear motors are light enough to try again. It seems like a great idea if it doesn't suck too much juice and is light enough to be comparable or better than normal spring/shock setups.
I love that it's pro-active rather than re-active.
This reminds me of the ferrofluid shock absorbers now available on many higher end cars and even a few military vehicles. Apparently they make an enormous difference in ride and control.

I've actually ridden in the car and it is genuinely amazing. The surprising part is that the lack of body roll on hard turns is just as noticeable and impressive as the smooth ride over the bump strips.

We also took a lot of the technology and have rolled it into this:
http://www.boseride.com/

I really think there must be some forward-looking sensors scanning the road and instructing the suspension in how to act. It doesn't look like it's reactive in any way mechanical, like a spring compensating, but more proactive, where the suspension is acting before the mechanical parts even have a chance to sense any change in the road.

I think the bunny hop may simply be a happy accident where the system reacts to a discrete change in height with such an extreme set of actions (that actually begin first in the rear suspension) that it causes the car to bunny hop.

Watch the run-up to the bunny hop. The car dips down and stays "crouched" for a moment. I suspect it's triggered by the driver somehow, but I suppose it could just as easily be a byproduct of some sort of forward-looking sensor trying to clear the bar.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Sift of the week.