The term ‘reinventing the wheel’ is often tossed around nowadays as manufacturers tend to try to restyle even the most basic of things such as the steering wheels or doors into a trend or more often than not, a gimmick for social media. We’re looking at you, Tesla. However, whenever a company tries to actually do something revolutionary instead of just social media clout, it tends to be technical where only people like me would find it interesting.
That being said, a company like Brembo isn’t one for social media points. Brembo, last year, announced that they were working on a completely new braking system called ‘Sensify’. No, it isn’t linked to Spotify nor will it tell you where your favourite braking points are for the year. But to simplify the whole system into a sentence, Brembo has created something like a ‘brake-by-wire’ system.
Out With The Old, In With The New!
Sensify is apparently an intelligent braking ecosystem consisting of several mechanical components, two digital brains and sensors on each wheel. Sounds like something so complex, you just know the mechanic down your street will surely screw up. However, Brembo has actually tried and tested this new system and so far, it has lived up to its glory. The cars that were used too weren’t some clapped out 20-year old beaters, they were in fact Teslas.
"By introducing Sensify, Brembo is pushing the boundaries of what is possible with a braking system, opening up entirely new opportunities to drivers to improve their experience on the road and customize brake response to their driving style. It gives drivers the peace of mind they are looking for," says Daniele Schillaci, CEO of Brembo.
What’s cool about Sensify is that there are no mechanical linkages between the brake pedals to the brakes calipers themselves. Around 12 to 14 sensors are equipped on each caliper which transmits and receives data to and from the control unit. What makes it interesting is that each wheel brakes individually depending on the situation.
Everything Repackaged Into One
In case you’re unsure how much of a difference this makes compared to the ‘conventional’ setup, this whole kit replaces the ABS, traction and stability module into one unit. Hence simplifying the entire setup and not only that, Brembo intends to make this into a modular and open interface in which manufacturers have the ability to customize and add on whatever they want to the system.
Apart from that, Sensify has the ability to react quicker, in which Brembo claims to be 100 milliseconds upon application. As it seems, this is potentially the fastest braking system there is to this date. With Sensify, Brembo aims to let the brakes stop you from getting into a slide.
While that does sound like eliminating the fun from certain aspects of driving such as drifting or track driving, Brembo actually understands that you can benefit the system in events such as trackdays. The system can be adjusted to suit hard driving but not only that, it even has the ability to measure heat and instantly knows when you’re on a track. The system too has the ability of knowing which turns are the most demanding on the brakes.
Sensify has the ability to cool down one particular caliper by increasing the pressure on the other three. Meaning less fade over time. The calipers are designed to be aerodynamic as well but apart from that, they do in fact reduce the unsprung weight by using different materials as they use aluminium instead of cast iron.
The Future Of Brakes
Brake feel too was something we were questioning as different brake systems have different characteristics and feel. However, Brembo says Sensify can be fine-tuned to suit the feel you are looking for. For now, Brembo hasn’t started selling the Sensify unit but it will be launched in 2024 with several manufacturers already on board with the project.
Written by | Danial Malek Images by | Brembo
