Adaptive Brake Assistant.

Not too heavy, not too light: the Adaptive Brake Assistant adjusts the amount of brake power applied to the wheels during emergency braking so that your BMW comes safely to a standstill.

The Adaptive Brake Assistant is a practical adjunct to the Active Cruise Control (ACC) system. The radar sensors at the front of your BMW measure both the distance to the vehicle ahead and its current speed. If the vehicle ahead stops suddenly, or if an obstacle appears in the lane ahead, the Adaptive Brake Assistant calculates whether emergency braking must be applied, and the necessary amount of brake pressure.
Having calculated the optimum braking power, the system activates the brakes only after the driver has applied the brake pedal. It also gives the driver warning signals either using sounds or visual warnings on the dashboard or the Head-Up Display depending on the model. The type of warning differentiates between a cautionary signal (e.g. if the vehicle ahead is too close) or an acute alert to a critical situation (e.g. the vehicle ahead brakes suddenly).
In order to minimise brake reaction times, the brake pressure is permanently maintained high enough to hold the brake pads on the discs without actually impeded wheel movement. The system can also momentarily delay brake application and apply engine braking to make braking distance as short as possible relative to the situation.

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