The Bavarian carmaker wants to patent a system consisting of a protective film that is applied to the vehicle and enables the detection of a scratch without visual inspection and to warn the owner about it.
BMW‘s idea is to use the color as “scratch-sensitive leather”.
The film applied to the regular paint would be a conductor of electricity, meaning that when the car was scratched, it would detect a change in the electrical circuit.
This, in turn, would notify the driver that the vehicle has been scratched.
The way the system warns the driver varies according to conditions.
If a scratch occurs while driving, the car will warn the driver with audio and visual signals.
If this happens while the car owner is out of the vehicle, the alert can be sent wirelessly, presumably to his smartphone.