Ford Has a Crazy Idea That Lets You Drive Off-Road While Standing Up

If you've ever driven a tricky off-road trail, you'll know the value of standing up and poking your head over the windscreen for a better look at the terrain. Ford apparently has had the bright idea that you should be able to drive while doing so, and it's created some notes on how that could possibly work.

According to CarBuzz, Ford's patent shows a driver of a Bronco standing up with their head out the top of the vehicle. This is a great way to get a view of the wheels and any obstacles ahead, but it's not a great position for driving. Ford's idea is to build controls to make driving from this position safe and practical. In a topless vehicle like the Bronco, it would let one drive while standing like a tank commander in the cupola. Cool, right?

Per the patent filing, the system intends to use sensors to detect when the driver has adopted a standing position. This will then enable a secondary set of driving controls for use while upright. The driver can then guide the vehicle while standing up and taking in the full view of the situation.

Ford's patent suggests that the windshield header could host the secondary controls for driving while upright. Capacitive touch pads could be used to control vehicle speed, torque output, or even steering. Naturally, when driving standing up, Ford intends for the vehicle to be limited to a safe regime of operation. Damping acceleration and braking is one method that would reduce the chance of the standing driver being jerked around excessively. Similarly, vehicle speed would be limited to just a few miles per hour.