COLOGNE: Ford is taking its Active Noise Control tech out of the car and into a kennel prototype to create a safe place for pets while we celebrate the New Year with fireworks.
To kick off Ford's new series of initiatives — called Interventions — that apply automotive tech to non-automotive applications, the company unveiled a prototype of a new Quiet Kennel, a place where dogs and their ultra-sensitive hearing can be safe and feel at ease when fireworks or thunder starts sounding.
Nearly half of dogs in the UK show signs of fear upon hearing fireworks, the sounds of which can be difficult to muffle even inside a home. Ford saw this as an opportunity to use the Edge SUVs noise-cancelling tech to solve an everyday issue which affects both pets and their owners alike.
Just like the technology counteracts engine or transmission sounds using opposing sound waves, when the kennel detects fireworks, it begins cancelling out the sound. High-density cork is a key material in this product, because it's able to significantly reduce sounds until they're nearly undetectable.
Ford noted that the Quiet Kennel is "just a prototype for now" suggesting that the company may bring it into production in the future, but there's no indication when that will happen — if ever — or at what cost.
