When fly-by-wire throttles were first introduced, the purists hated them. Too removed from the driving experience, disconnected – both physically and metaphorically – and too complex, were the criticisms. Those who loved cars and driving were extremely skeptical, to say the least. And yet, here we are decades later where the system is commonplace, and that’s before you get to electric vehicles where the attachment between pedal and motor is completely different.

An announcement this week from famed Italian manufacturer Brembo touted the progression of the company’s Sensify intelligent braking system and it’s readiness to enter production. The suite eliminates traditional braking components and the connection between the pedal and the braking system itself, replacing it with data coding and software.

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As reported by Road and Track, Brembo won’t say exactly which manufacturer will first adopt the system, but has announced that it will “equip hundreds of thousands of vehicles per year”. Given Brembo’s long and storied history with the very best braking systems around the world, it would be fair to assume more than one manufacturer would jump at the opportunity to fit this new technology to its vehicles.

“Sensify translates our vision of an intelligent, integrated braking platform into industrial reality,” said Daniele Schillaci, CEO of Brembo. “Designed to orchestrate the entire corner ecosystem, it supports safer mobility, while paving the way for the next generation of software-defined vehicles, reflecting our long-term purpose of shaping a zero accident future.”

According to Brembo, the Sensify system will deliver a more precise braking experience, because it removes the hydraulic fluid of traditional systems, as counter-intuitive as that may sound. With sensors at each wheel, the Brembo system can in effect, deliver different braking to each wheel if required. It can, therefore, improve not just braking stability but also issues like understeer or unwanted yaw – which are controlled by the brakes in most modern cars. If you drive on slippery surfaces often, the benefits are even more noticeable.

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Like fly-by-wire throttle control did when it was first introduced, this new technology by Brembo could completely redefine the interaction of driver and car, and the interaction between the car and the road beneath it. If Brembo can perfect it’s system as it claims to have done, it won’t be long before we see it move out of the realm of high-end performance and be adapted more broadly to more affordable cars.