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Discover the hidden capabilities of everyday items that can revolutionize your daily routine. Many people overlook the clever designs and functionalities of household tools, not realizing the potential they hold. Join us as we reveal 20 surprising features of common objects that can enhance your efficiency and simplify your life.
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00:00There's nothing better than a nice piece of buttered toast for breakfast, if we're not counting hot fudge sundaes.
00:06But if you find it harder to spread out cold butter over your toast, here's an idea.
00:11Use a cheese grater. Figure out the amount you need and grate the product.
00:16The process will also soften the butter, making it easier to spread, and you won't have to melt a too
00:21large amount of it in the process.
00:23But still, that hot fudge!
00:26Dried pasta comes in all sorts of different shapes and sizes for a reason.
00:31That's because each type of pasta goes best with a particular sauce.
00:35Pasta shells, for example, are perfect with denser and chunkier sauces.
00:40Why? Because the sauce gets inside the shells, making it easier to serve and eat the dish.
00:46The ribbed outer surface also helps with covering the shells in the sauce.
00:52If you ever end up burning your cookies, you can save them with your trusty grater, too.
00:58Just grate off the blackened parts after carefully taking the cookies from the baking tray.
01:02But be careful and wait until the cookies have cooled down.
01:06Also, if you ruin their shape a bit, you can always dip them in some melted chocolate.
01:12After the chocolate cools down, you'll have perfectly shaped cookies.
01:16Although, after it gets past your lips and beyond, does the shape of the cookie actually matter?
01:22Just saying.
01:24If you like adding a lot of ingredients to your sandwiches, but don't really appreciate it when the bread gets
01:30soggy,
01:30there is a way to reduce the amount of moisture.
01:33Pick your sliced tomatoes or cucumbers and place them between two paper towels for up to five minutes.
01:39After that, you can use them.
01:42Also, make sure to spread butter, cheese, or sauces, like mayo or ketchup, onto the bread first.
01:48This will help you seal the bread and keep moisture at bay.
01:53Some people think that the little white string that you find near an egg yolk needs to be removed before
01:59you cook the egg.
02:00Well, I'm here to tell you that these strands are called calaza, and you don't actually need to get rid
02:05of them.
02:05They help keep the yolk in place, at the egg's center.
02:09A calaza is not going to mess up the consistency or the taste of your food.
02:13So, removing it is completely up to you.
02:16Ever notice that most juice boxes come with two flaps, one on each side?
02:21Those are actually handles.
02:24Manufacturers design the boxes this way to make it easier for us to hold them.
02:28This way, we don't end up squeezing the box, making the juice spill out.
02:34Now, you don't need to be a baking pro to know that you can use both white and brown sugar
02:39in your recipes.
02:40But have you ever wondered what the difference between these two is?
02:44It turns out that the only thing that sets them apart is that, during production, a small amount of molasses
02:51is added to the brown sugar.
02:53Molasses is basically a sort of syrup you get when processing sugarcane.
02:57It's usually removed during the refining process.
03:00That's how white sugar is produced.
03:02But if some amount of molasses remains in the final product, we end up with brown sugar, with its specific
03:09taste and darker hue.
03:11It's a good thing.
03:14There are a lot of things you can put in your dishwasher, apart from your dishes.
03:18For example, you can clean such things as your silicone oven mitts or the knobs of some kitchen appliances, like
03:25your oven or stove.
03:26Some kitchen sponges and reusable towels may be safe to clean in the dishwasher as well.
03:32Speaking of kitchen cleaning products, there are a lot of things you can do with dish soap, like de-griming
03:39your patio furniture.
03:40Just add a bit of dish detergent to some warm water and use the solution to wipe down your outdoor
03:45furniture with a piece of cloth.
03:48Finally, rinse it clean using your garden hose.
03:51You can also use dish soap to get rid of greasy stains on your clothes, be it pasta sauce or
03:57salad dressings.
03:58Hey, sometimes we miss our mouths!
04:00So, just apply a little dish detergent to the stain and then rinse with water.
04:05Use non-colored soap for lighter clothes.
04:08For more difficult stains, let the dish soap sink in for a bit, then throw the piece of clothing in
04:13the washer as usual.
04:14And think about maybe getting a bib.
04:17If none of the methods have helped you organize your closet, and you're still overwhelmed with large piles of clothes,
04:24there's a simple way that might be effective.
04:26It's called the one-in-one-out rule.
04:30That means for every new piece of clothing you buy, you need to get rid of one you already have.
04:36That means you'll always be decluttering your space.
04:39To make it easier to find something in your closet, good luck, keep your most used items at eye level.
04:45This way, they'll be easier to find and pull out when you're in a hurry.
04:49Those items that you tend to use less often, like your evening clothes, for example, can stay on the shelves
04:55above or below your eye level.
04:58You can make good use of old spice tins.
05:01If you glue some powerful magnets to the inside of the tins, they can double as magnetic shelves.
05:06You can use them for all sorts of everyday items, like kitchen pliers, ice cream scoops, or even cutlery.
05:14You can also place them on any metallic surface, like your refrigerator door.
05:18They'll blend in nicely with your kitchen magnets.
05:22Hidden in your laundry room, there's a great tool for picking up pet hair.
05:26It sometimes works better than lint rollers.
05:29Take a dryer sheet and, using some elbow grease, you'll get rid of that dog or cat hair in no
05:35time.
05:36It works on all sorts of surfaces, but it's especially effective for upholstered furniture.
05:42Now, if you don't like it when a door starts squeaking whenever you enter a room,
05:46get a bar of soap and rub it straight on the hinges.
05:49This will only help for a while, though, but it'll do the trick until you manage to get to a
05:54hardware store.
05:55And, you know, buy some oil.
05:58Have you ever noticed that in some elevators, there's a star next to the number of a specific floor?
06:04No, it's not to indicate where my office is.
06:08It's there to point out where the nearest exit is.
06:10And it's not always on the first floor.
06:13It's most likely located on the floor closest to the street.
06:17Have you ever wondered why stop signs are red?
06:21Well, back in the day, they didn't actually have any particular color at all.
06:25Before the 1920s, they didn't even have a standardized shade.
06:29In 1922, though, someone came up with the octagon.
06:33But initially, it was painted yellow.
06:36All because the red coloring tended to fade out too quickly because of sun exposure.
06:40So, yellow turned out to be the best option.
06:44It took another 30 years for fade-resistant enamel paint to be invented.
06:48We ended up changing the color of the stop sign back to red.
06:52After all, it's still the best color if you want something to be easily noticeable.
06:57Do you know there's a type of rose that can grow taller than people?
07:02According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the tallest rose bush ever found grew in Vienna, Austria.
07:08It was a staggering 28 and a half feet tall.
07:12Yes, it arose to a great height.
07:15In the same way we all have unique patterns on our fingerprints, no two tigers have the same set of
07:21stripes.
07:21It makes it easier for people working with this feline species to distinguish one tiger from another.
07:28I'll bet you didn't know the White House has its own flower shop hidden in the basement of the building.
07:33It's supposed to provide flower arrangements for all sorts of events that take place there.
07:39It's probably no surprise that pizza has become an American staple dish despite its Italian origin.
07:46People in the U.S. love it so much that they buy 350 slices of pizza every second in the
07:53States.
07:54Man, I am not getting my fair share.
07:56To manage the huge demand for this delicious dish, around 17% of all restaurants in the U.S. are
08:03pizzerias.
08:05Finally, there's a way to make lemon juice without the seeds getting into your beverage.
08:10Try cutting the fruit in two and squeezing it with a pair of kitchen tongs.
08:14The pointed end of the lemon should be facing down.
08:17The juice will flow down, but the seeds will remain inside the lemon.
08:22Ooh, lemonade.
08:23It goes well with pizza.
08:27Various types of cheese have holes for a reason.
08:30For example, Swiss cheese is made with special bacteria that produce carbon dioxide.
08:36As the CO2 is emitted, it blows like bubblegum, leaving tiny craters, also known as cheese eyes.
08:43Then the cheese is cooled down, but the holes stay in place.
08:49Over 40 billion Oreos are made every single year.
08:53It's the world's most popular manufactured cookie.
08:56The geometric design stamped onto these cookies has the Nabisco logo, the symbol of European quality, surrounding the word Oreo.
09:04William Tournier created the chocolate cookie design we see today back in 1952.
09:13If you use reusable bottles, you probably know that sometimes they smell.
09:18Even if you only use it for regular water, it still smells.
09:22But it's not the water that smells.
09:24It's the microorganisms in it.
09:26If you drink water from a bottle, the particles of your saliva and sweat stay in there.
09:31Those bacteria start to build up in the bottle, causing the smell.
09:35So, if you choose reusable bottles, make sure to wash them every day to prevent those bacteria from building up.
09:43After washing, let it dry completely before using it again.
09:49Not only are the jeans blue, but the police officers' uniforms as well.
09:54The first official police officers appeared in the 19th century in London.
09:58They were given a blue uniform to contrast with the red and white uniform that military workers had already been
10:04wearing.
10:05Two decades afterward, the police force was adopted in the USA, and they followed the patterns.
10:11The uniform is still blue nowadays because it proved to be a good color.
10:15It's not that visible in dark hours, and police officers can observe things and people staying unnoticed.
10:22Also, stains aren't that visible on dark material.
10:25And, well, everyone knows that police officers wear blue and they're recognized in.
10:30So, why change that?
10:34Baby carrots are tiny, and unlike regular carrots, wet.
10:38Not unlike baby humans.
10:40Baby carrots aren't some special sort of carrot.
10:43They're actually made of regular carrots by cutting off the skin and outer layers and then polishing them to look
10:50that pretty.
10:50The problem is, they can't retain moisture.
10:53A regular carrot retains some water inside because of the layers that lock it in.
10:58Once they're chopped out, baby carrots can dry out easily.
11:01So, they usually sell them in bags with some water inside.
11:08Jeans have metal rivets, and they're there from the very beginning.
11:12Jacob Davis, the man who made the first pair of jeans, added copper rivets to spots where pants are more
11:18likely to rip, flies in pockets, to make them stronger.
11:21Today, they have more of a decorative purpose, since they are distinctive and traditional for jeans.
11:27Another special thing about jeans is those tiny pockets they have that seemingly serve no purpose.
11:34Well, maybe it's true now.
11:35But years ago, when many cowboys were wearing jeans, the pocket was made specifically to keep a pocket watch there.
11:43Also, back then, a pair of jeans had just four pockets.
11:46That tiny pocket, the watch pocket, two big pockets in front, and just one pocket in the back.
11:54Car headrests are all about comfort, and detachable headrests are all about safety.
11:59If you pull the headrest out, you'll see two sturdy metal bars.
12:03If you ever get locked or trapped in a car, you can use the bars to smash the window and
12:09get out.
12:11Those little red spots you sometimes see after you crack an egg are nothing to be worried about.
12:17Tiny blood spots can be caused by a small rupture in a blood vessel of a hen as it was
12:22laying the egg.
12:24Eggs with these blood spots are safe to eat, but that spot can be removed if you want.
12:29It won't affect the taste of the egg.
12:31Oh, that's comforting.
12:33Hidden within the Toblerone logo of the mountain is the image of a bear standing on its hind legs, about
12:40to eat that yodeler over there.
12:41No, not really.
12:43This is because bears are a big part of Bern, one of the biggest cities in Switzerland, where the founder
12:48created the triangular chocolate tree.
12:51Toblerone is also a play on the founder's family name, Tobler, and the Italian word toron for honey and almond
12:58nougat.
13:01The space below a cup of noodles is there to protect the noodles during transport.
13:06This technique is called a middle suspension.
13:09Not only are they protected better in their styrofoam cup, but it also helps those noodles soften more evenly and
13:15quickly.
13:16Even though you might have noticed that the hole on the barrel of ballpoint pens has no purpose, it does.
13:22It's called a venting system, which helps the ink flow more smoothly.
13:26This way, an even amount of air pressure is created inside and outside the pen, allowing the ink to flow
13:33into the point easily.
13:35It's not an accident that soy sauce bottles have two spouts.
13:39The sauce is liquid, and it flows out of the bottle pretty quickly once you turn it over.
13:44Most Asian food lovers will admit they've spilled it at least once in a lifetime.
13:49That's why, nowadays, restaurants prefer serving soy sauce in special bottles that have two spouts.
13:55This design allows you to control when and how much sauce will come out.
13:59Just put your finger on one spout while you pour the sauce through another.
14:03If you press your finger tightly to the spout, the sauce will stop flowing, and if you remove your finger,
14:09it will flow again.
14:11And please, do not remove your finger in a restaurant. It will freak everybody out.
14:17You've probably noticed that train and bus seats are covered in fabrics with weird patterns.
14:22Any idea why?
14:24They use these patterns to cover any germs and stains on the seat.
14:28Oh boy.
14:28The brighter the color and the more patterned it is, the harder it will be for a passenger to notice
14:34any stains and get grossed out.
14:36Also, the patterns are usually so ugly that no one even wants to look at them for long enough to
14:42spot any stains.
14:43So yeah, the pattern is there to make you look away, and if you look, to make it less noticeable.
14:49No bus will ever have plain white seats. That's a guarantee.
14:55The middle tab on soda cans can be flipped around.
14:58You can slip a straw in place so you don't have to hold it up your mouth.
15:01This stay-on tab replaced the pull ring tab created in the early 60s.
15:06You remember those, don't you?
15:07Those could be quite sharp and easily discarded where they could be a menace for others.
15:12Now you can pop your straw straight into one.
15:15Also means you can produce some bubbles and make a mess like a three-year-old.
15:21Sometimes, when you purchase an article of clothing, you receive a plastic baggie with an extra button and a swatch
15:27of fabric.
15:28While the fabric is clearly used to patch holes, it can also be used to test the effects of various
15:34cleaners on certain surfaces.
15:36It's handy, too, to test wash cycles before using them to wash the whole garment.
15:43Escalators have those fluffy black brushes for a similar reason that some have yellow lines on their steps.
15:49To try and deter people from getting too close to dangerous places.
15:53People don't always take notice.
15:55And sometimes, clothing can drape close to the point where the step meets the edge or skirt.
16:00The brush is a little barrier to help prevent this from happening.
16:04They can also catch bits of fluff and prevent other small things from falling down into the gaps.
16:11Those takeaway containers most associated with Chinese restaurants are designed to not only carry your food home, but to store
16:19it in the fridge.
16:20They double as a plate, as you can eat straight out of them and don't have to worry about dirty
16:25dishes.
16:25Yay!
16:26They were actually patented way back in 1894 to transport freshly shucked oysters and were known as oyster pails.
16:34They were later adapted to use as leak-proof containers for food.
16:40Ever wondered why coins have those little ridges along the edge?
16:43It's a leftover from earlier times when they were worth more.
16:47Counterfeiters could easily file the edges off to sell as gold or silver coins to make some profit.
16:52The ridges were created so it was much easier to tell which of the coins had been altered.
16:58It's not needed today, but the coins still have that altered style.
17:04All crackers and some cookies have holes to make sure the final product has the right texture.
17:10These teeny-tiny holes allow steam to escape, so your crackers and cookies won't snap.
17:15If it weren't for these holes, also known as dockers,
17:18steam would build up inside the tree, and the final result might have been scrumptious,
17:23but it would have been rather oddly shaped.
17:27Dogs like to walk in circles before snoozing because they inherited this behavior pattern from their ancestors.
17:33There were no special doggy beds back then,
17:36so most pooches would have to push down tall grass to make a sort of snoozing spot.
17:41Plus, as a bonus, those movements scared off all the critters lurking in the vegetation.
17:48Donuts are ring-shaped for a similar reason.
17:50If they hadn't had holes right in the center, the dough there would have always been undercooked.
17:56By the way, they're often associated with the police,
17:59because back in the 1950s, donut shops were among the only places open-laid.
18:04They were a perfect place for police officers to grab something to eat
18:08and even deal with some paperwork during the night shift.
18:12Your jeans are blue on the outside and white on the inside
18:16because of a smart way to weave the fabric.
18:19The warp thread is dyed, while the weft thread has no color.
18:23It's just white.
18:24This way, manufacturers reduce the amount of dye needed for each piece of clothing.
18:29And they're still dyeing to make the jeans.
18:35Have you ever wondered what these extra holes at the top of your running shoes are for?
18:40They're designed so that you can tie the shoes in multiple different ways.
18:44That's useful when you want to compensate for things such as a bad stride or even a damaged toe.
18:50Plus, you can change the look of your shoes the way you prefer.
18:56Many people use a dust jacket of their book as a bookmarker.
19:00No problem with that.
19:01It will save your book from bent page corners.
19:04But the primary purpose of a dust cover is to keep the book safe from distortions.
19:09For instance, if you spill juice or drop some of the food on your book while reading it.
19:15The Tic Tac dispenser has this little groove on its top,
19:18so you can dispense only one Tic Tac at a time.
19:21Even though, let's be honest here, nobody does that.
19:25Most of us just spill a whole bunch at once and then we wiggle all those extra Tic Tacs back
19:30in.
19:32Those rubber bumps you see between the tire treads are there for your safety.
19:36The raised edges tell you what the minimum height of your tread is.
19:40If the bump and the edges are even, it's time for you to visit the tire shop as soon as
19:46possible.
19:46But if the bumps are well beneath the level of the edges, you're good to go.
19:52What about that black grating on the microwave window?
19:55It's something called a Faraday shield.
19:58And it's there to prevent microwaves from getting away and turning the entire room into a Faraday cage.
20:04If the microwaves escape, your meal won't cook properly either.
20:08So yep, the cage is not there to make it difficult for you to see your meal while it's cooking.
20:13It's keeping the electromagnetic energy inside.
20:18How about a wrench compatible screwdriver?
20:20Cover your screwdriver with the end of your wrench and you can increase its torque.
20:25That's why the head of your screwdriver is designed the way it is.
20:28When you have odd angles, you can use this strategy.
20:33You've probably heard those myths, the blue side of the eraser can erase the pen.
20:38False.
20:39Its purpose is to erase a pencil.
20:41But in case you're writing something on heavier paper.
20:44The blue side can remove smudges you see after using the pink eraser too.
20:50Have you ever wondered why oranges in supermarkets mostly come in the red mesh bag?
20:56It's a trick to make this food look more orange and encourage you to make a purchase.
21:01An extra tip, don't throw away the mesh bag.
21:03Tie it up so you can have a small pot scrubber to clean your sink, kitchen, appliances, and dishes.
21:12You can see golf balls don't have a perfectly round shape.
21:15Their surface is covered with many little dimples, something golf balls didn't always have.
21:21At one point, experienced golfers started noticing how through time,
21:25older balls with imperfections, such as nicks and bumps, could travel further.
21:31Such things create turbulence in the air around the golf ball, which eventually reduces drag.
21:37So, manufacturers started producing balls with dimples so they could go farther and faster.
21:45You might have noticed that sometimes there are ridges in toothpick tops.
21:49It's more hygienic because when you break that off, you can prop the toothpick up on it, and it won't
21:54touch anything.
21:57Another safety feature you'll find, this time in your car, is a tab on your rearview mirror.
22:04With it, you can change the position of the mirror so you don't get blinded if there's a car behind
22:08you with its high beams on.
22:10So, this little tab helps you control the glare of lights coming from behind.
22:15This feature showed up in the 1930s, but in the early 1970s, it became a part of standard equipment in
22:22most trucks and cars.
22:25Do you see that tiny hole on your iPhone, right next to the rear-facing camera?
22:29It's a microphone, and it's there so your phone can record sound as you turn your camera around.
22:37Some cables have a thick cylinder towards the end of the cord.
22:41It's called a ferrite core, or a choke.
22:43It's a magnetic iron oxide that stops high-frequency electromagnetic interference.
22:49For example, you know that annoying static noise you get if you bring your phone too close to a speaker?
22:56This interrupts your call, which is why cable cords with big cylinders are pretty useful, because they prevent these things.
23:04Do you know why nearly all luggage bags and backpacks have two zippers?
23:09It's way more convenient and easier to open in that way.
23:12But not just that, you can also lock these two zippers together to keep the stuff inside your bags safer.
23:20You know how toilets at public spots like malls have those big gaps at the bottom?
23:26It's primarily for better circulation of air.
23:29This type of door also makes it easier to clean the toilet or check if it's occupied if you're standing
23:34in line.
23:36Other than that, if you get stuck there and the lock gets broken, you still have a way to escape.
23:41You can just crawl out.
23:45Ever notice those plastic end caps on utility knives?
23:48And they also have scales on them, which indicates you may use them multiple times, but with sharp edges.
24:03If you've ever taken a moment to examine a regular grocery cart, especially their fold-out section, you probably noticed
24:11those metal loops jutting out.
24:13They're designed to protect the items you carry in your cart.
24:17You can use them to hang bags with soft items.
24:20You don't want to accidentally squish with heavier products, like bread, or easily breakable things, like eggs.
24:29Many coffee mugs come with curved notches on their bottom.
24:33When you're washing your mugs, put them against the rack at an angle in your dishwasher.
24:37This way, the water won't pool in there, so your favorite cup will be completely dry by the time you
24:42take it out of the dishwasher.
24:45If you're a McFlurry fan, you've probably noticed there's a square hole in the handle of the spoon.
24:51It's there so you can attach it to the special machine that mixes the ice cream and your favorite toppings
24:57together.
24:58The machine has a bar that slips into this square-shaped spoon and then thoroughly stirs it.
25:04And you get the spoon so they can minimize the mess during the process.
25:08Quite neat, wouldn't you say?
25:11A regular milk jug has a dent on one side.
25:15Some might see it as a random design decision, but a dent has several purposes.
25:20One of them is to get bigger if there's a gas build-up.
25:24This happens when your milk is spoiled.
25:26So you don't even have to try to check this out.
25:29Also, the dent is there so the jug doesn't burst if you accidentally drop it.
25:34The dent allows the expansion space that deals with the sudden pressure that happens when you drop the jug.
25:42Dental floss.
25:43Sure, it's important for your dental health, and it's easy to assume what you do with it.
25:47But dental floss is great in the kitchen as well,
25:50because it's a very precise cake slicer.
25:53Way better than a regular knife.
25:58Most kitchen shears have a serrated opening right there at the center where the blades and handles meet.
26:04It's something you can use to trim difficult herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or chives.
26:10Because of this opening, you don't need to pick the leaves off by hand, but de-stem them in one
26:15motion.
26:17The majority of gelatin containers or single-serving yogurts come with a tinfoil lid.
26:23And in most cases, you can use this covering as a disposable spoon.
26:27Just peel away the covering, and after a couple of simple folds, you'll have a perfect little spoon for your
26:33midday snack.
26:35Seatbelt on the passenger seats has a fabric loop.
26:38When put under a great amount of pressure, the stitches on the loop rip apart, so the excess fabric can
26:44assist in cushioning the passengers.
26:46The extra few inches can make a great difference within a dire circumstance.
26:51However, there isn't one on the driver's side.
26:54As the driver is so close to the steering wheel, it's safer for them not to have one.
27:00Seatbelts were originally invented in the mid-19th century, though this technology wasn't brought into common practice until the 1960s.
27:08Pre-collision sensory technology has assisted with developing the safety of seatbelts and other features to the next level.
27:16Effectively predicting a car's collision, the technology directs the seatbelts to automatically tighten,
27:21aligning the airbags and ensuring the brakes will be pre-loaded to reduce shock.
27:27Every year, 6 million car accidents occur, which explains why all cars still must continue to develop safety features,
27:35not only to alleviate accidents, but to protect people more effectively within their cars.
27:41The materials that make up the body of cars only started getting replaced within the last 25 years,
27:47ranging from aluminum and magnesium alloys to carbon fiber composites.
27:52These lighter materials not only enable a more fuel-efficient journey,
27:56but they also ensure that when a car is in an accident, its build provides a crumple zone.
28:02As a car hits another object, the crumple zone absorbs energy from the collision.
28:07Although this would appear to cause more damage to the car, it helps prevent impact on the passengers.
28:13Front and rear bumpers are very underrated, and due to their long history of being used in cars,
28:19you can't imagine a time we didn't use them.
28:22They were invented in the late 1800s.
28:24The bumpers evolved over the years to the point we don't even realize we have them.
28:29But they're there, quietly waiting under the outer covers,
28:33consisting of compressible foam or plastic around a rigid reinforced bar.
28:38All the windows of your car are made of glass, but the windshield is made of a shatterproof version.
28:44It's laminated, so whatever might hit it,
28:47you can be sure there won't be any shards of glass falling into the front seats.
28:52Normal glass was used up until the 1950s.
28:55As vehicles became more prominent, they made modifications to ensure safety.
29:01Airbags seem like another common feature that has always been there.
29:04In fact, they were originally invented in 1968 and were ahead of their time.
29:10They slowly gained popularity, and through safety precautions for cars,
29:15they eventually became mandatory for all cars to have, only in 1998.
29:20They have since developed from just being an airbag within the steering wheel.
29:24Today, depending on the vehicle, they can be located throughout the car,
29:28ensuring all potential passengers will be protected.
29:31Crash sensors connected to an onboard computer detect when a collision occurs
29:36and trigger the bags, inflating within milliseconds
29:39and providing a cushioned safety within a blink of an eye.
29:44It can be difficult to predict the weather,
29:46and even more so to determine traction on the road.
29:49In the late 1960s, anti-lock braking systems, ABS, were implemented in vehicles.
29:55Before that, they had been used in many aircraft, with designs going as far back as 1908.
30:02They soon became a necessity for all vehicles,
30:05ensuring traction is maintained on slippery surfaces
30:08and that there is complete control when braking.
30:11Today, ABS has advanced so much that the latest variations
30:15ensure further detection when there are strong crosswinds.
30:19Cruise control, initially invented in 1948, has been in constant development over many decades.
30:26Today, adaptive cruise control ensures that when the car is cruising at a constant speed
30:31and detects a slower car ahead, it will then adjust the speed to match the car in front.
30:37Other advanced variants may also ensure the car will make a complete stop
30:41once identifying that the car in front has done the same.
30:45It's easy to forget to have your high beams on when driving on the long and lonesome road for many
30:50hours.
30:51Automatic high beams are quickly becoming more common.
30:55High-tech camera modules can easily determine what type of light is passing through
31:00and help ensure when the high beam will be necessary.
31:03Although versions of automatic high beams have been around since the 1950s,
31:08they counted on light-sensitive sensors and were very unreliable.
31:11The new varieties can identify the sources of light,
31:15whether it's from the sun, directly from a car's light,
31:18or even from the reflection on a sign, ensuring you won't cause issues with other drivers.
31:24It's a pain in the neck to have to ensure there isn't anyone creeping into that semi-visible corner,
31:30the blind spot, which causes around 400,000 accidents per year.
31:35Solar sensors within rear bumpers of vehicles and blind spot monitoring systems watch and identify adjacent lanes.
31:43They alert the driver that a vehicle may be in the lane beside them,
31:46whether by flashing lights on the dash or from beeping sounds.
31:50This way, they help to alleviate the many concerns the blind spot causes.
31:551.6 million road accidents are caused by texting and driving,
32:00and fatigue normally causes up to 10% of all car accidents per year.
32:05The driver attention monitor helps to alleviate both statistics.
32:09It works through sensors that monitor the car's movements and the amount of steering corrections
32:14to ensure the driver is paying attention to the road.
32:17When the system identifies that the driver isn't completely awake or is slightly distracted with their phone,
32:23it will prompt signals to suggest it's time for a break.
32:27Tires are among the most critical components for your car,
32:31with a close relationship with whatever path you take.
32:34Many safety features rely on the tires themselves for their own independent purposes.
32:39That's why it's super important to ensure the tires are always in top condition.
32:43Tire pressure monitoring systems check the air pressure of all four tires,
32:47ensuring you're aware when they need their pressure increased to avoid the risk of a blowout.
32:53The constant evolution in technologies continues to ensure you stay safe on longer stretches of the road.
32:59Lane departure warnings focus on the lines on the road, ensuring the car stays within.
33:05Whenever a car starts drifting over a line in the road without signaling to do so,
33:10the camera-based feature identifies and signals to the driver.
33:13The lane-keeping assist feature follows the same method of identifying when the car is intruding the bordering lane.
33:20When it gets too close, it will readjust the steering and center the car within its appropriate lane.
33:27Other features in more advanced cars have autonomous driving capabilities.
33:32The autopilot systems have taken cruise control to the next level.
33:35Not only does it allow the vehicle to steer itself in the intended lane while maintaining a set speed,
33:41but it also changes lanes when required, making the ride more and more efficient.
33:47Some safety features are only just making a trend in car models worldwide.
33:51For example, night vision, using thermographic cameras to look out for pedestrians and animals nearby.
33:58It goes within the infotainment screen, facing frontwards and identifying objects from their heat signatures.
34:05It's estimated that there are over 1.4 billion cars in use worldwide.
34:09And as the world's population increases, it's expected that the number of cars will follow suit.
34:15Safety features will continue to adapt further beyond what we know of today.
34:21Infrared headlights will be further adapted to be used in conditions with poor visibility,
34:25like storms, snow, and fog.
34:27They'll be capable of enhancing the visibility of the driver in all conditions without affecting the sight of passing drivers.
34:35Driver override systems will soon be able to monitor and identify human behavior.
34:40Whether due to reckless conduct on the road or for other safety precautions,
34:45cars will soon have the functionality to take complete control of themselves,
34:49ensuring both the passengers' and the driver's safety.
34:53Augmented reality windshields are in early development already,
34:56providing some indicator reflections from the dash onto the windshield.
35:00So, it's quite possible that soon all necessary directions for maps and alerts
35:05will appear right in front of the driver to ensure they never take their eyes off the road.
35:11Airbags will soon not only just be used within a car to ensure the passenger's safety,
35:15they will also activate from the outside of the car once they identify a definitive collision.
35:20The airbags will inflate outwards, covering the entire outside of the car,
35:26and drastically reducing its impact.
35:28It may be so advanced that the bodywork of the car won't even need to be buffed out.
35:33The future technology of cars is expected to be so progressive
35:37that the cars themselves will have their own form of communication,
35:41not with human drivers, but with other cars.
35:44Just imagine cars communicating and sharing information as they identify roadblocks,
35:49issues on the road, or disruptive weather patterns.
35:52It will all ensure the most efficient and safest route possible.
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