Non-blinding headlights already exist. Modern projection headlights can map where the light ends up on the road to illuminate your path while avoiding oncoming traffic. It just isn't widely adopted (in the US at least) as of yet.

My recommendation to Bosch is to blame any problems on floor mats.

> I think Bosch is trying to maximize complexity of a safety-critical system by deeply integrating it into all the other bits of the car.

Wait until you hear about how the brake pedal works in hybrids and EVs!

I'm only joking a little. There are good reasons to integrate the brakes with electronics in the car, with regenerative braking being the smallest of them.

> Brake-by-wire sounds scary.

"We will have steer by wire and brake by wire over my dead body." - former head of engineering at Chrysler.

> If ABS can make the brakes not brake even as you fully stomp the pedal - is there a reasonably conceivable failure mode that would simply prevent you from braking despite perfectly good hydraulics and a stomped pedal?

The answer is not simple, as it has changed over time.

Early anti-lock systems were so limited that the system would, indeed, fail to utilize the maximum possible braking force. This was known, and yet these were deployed, because the research said that maintaining directional control, the primary benefit of anti-lock, had greater safety value than the compromise of maximum braking performance.

Today, however, anti-lock is greatly improved, and anti-lock systems are capable of applying extremely high braking force, even to the point of exceeding thermal design limits (overheat) of the brake system components. The sensors are sampling at higher frequency, the braking models are far more accurate and the computers are faster in current vehicles. So current anti-lock can perform at near the absolute limit.

Further, current systems can actually detect panic. Drivers often fail to even use the full braking force available. Current vehicles can detect when sudden, high braking force is applied, switch into "emergency mode" and boost braking force beyond what the driver is demanding.

These features started appearing in the early 2000's. Nissan, for instance, introduced "Brake Assist" in 2001, with the 2002 the Altima redesign (L31 platform) and the Maxima. It has the "panic mode" behavior I've described.

I personally experienced this once about 15 years ago. Somehow I distracted myself, and when my attention returned I was closing with stopped vehicles at too high a speed and too little remaining distance. Collision was certain and my foot crushed the brake: pure panic, and I never let up. I came to a stop in a blessedly unoccupied left turn lane almost aligned with the stopped vehicles. I recall looking over my hood at the driver of the car I'd nearly hit: between us was a wisp of brake smoke drifting up from passenger fender. I could smell the brakes. The anti-lock did that. If I had had no anti-lock, all directional control would have been lost and my maneuver into the unoccupied lane would have been impossible. If the anti-lock had not applied as much force as it did, I would have been in the intersection, possibly getting t-boned.

So they're pretty good today, and I appreciate modern anti-lock designs.

waiting for... doesn't work when feet are wet.

Honestly, I think *-by-wire technology can exist, but I don't think it should be trusted to cost-reduction-at-any-cost manufacturers.

I've heard the cybertruck steer-by-wire has a control lag. And then there's the no-mechanical-escape door handles.

I'm largely there with you... I've frankly always had mixed feelings about it. Nothing like having your brakes or steering lose pressure while driving down the highway.

That said, steering without at least hydrolic/power assist is rough on your forearms.

I heard there were some who broke it and then had to eject

As a species, people perceive brightness non-linearly and it even differs between individuals and with age. You would want to have a group of break lights could you light up in relation to the braking Force. 30% brightness is hard to figure out but one of three brake lights is easier to grock.

Brake lights already flash if you brake hard.

brake lights are already disconnected from the brake pedal. many ev brake lights will come one based on deceleration, without touching the brake pedal.

Do brakes really need much power? It's a lot of force but a small distance.

I believe this is fully brake by wire, where as existing brake by wire still has hydraulic backup

A lot of engineering of hydraulic brakes goes into minimising the pedal stroke, i.e. the distance the pedal moves when you press it hard. It makes it easier to control , supposedly. Also it's hard to tune the feel and response of hybrid braking systems where there's a transition between regenerative and hydraulic brakes. Maybe removing the mechanical link actually could simplify a few things.