Future Tech:

| 30 April 2009
Posted in Environment

Computer Control of Cars On the Highway

A recent article in the Business Section of the Tribune (April 8, 09 GM Plans a Segway for two) revealed General Motor’s plans to partner with Segway to build a two-wheeled, electric scooter capable of carrying two people at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. The Trib could have just as easily headlined it “GM Grasps at Straws.” My intent here is not to bash GM, but to highlight part of the article that refers to plans to allow vehicles to interact with each other in such a manner that they would automatically avoid other vehicles, stop for red lights, and even slow for jaywalkers. One of traffic engineers’ holy grails has been computer control of automobiles on the road. Relieving traffic decisions of human input could make more efficient use of our existing roads, allowing far more cars to use the same roads with greater safety than ever before.

As early as 1997 engineers from Honda, UC Berkeley, and CalTrans built several Honda Accords that could drive themselves on the freeway.(1)  The technology available at the time made the project somewhat of an exercise in frustration, as the cars had to be quite close to one another to communicate, but reacted so slowly that the demonstration only worked on a section of freeway clear of any other cars. In addition, the cars had to be lined up before turning control over to the computers. This was all well and good in a laboratory situation, but mighty scary in the real world.

Fast-forward twelve years and the situation has changed more than a little. Faster processors, GPS, and a new form of Wi-Fi, in concert with now federally mandated stability control has given flesh to the engineers dream. An Australian Company, Cohda Wireless (2) has developed a new WI-Fi chip that allows instantaneous communication between moving vehicles. In a “wired” city, your car could “see” another car as it approaches an intersection at right angles to your path of travel. It could also see that you had the green light. If the other car failed to apply it’s brakes as it approached the intersection, your car could release the accelerator and apply the brakes independent of any action you might take. Conceivably it might even be able to steer your car. In any event, there would be no collision, you would slow safely, and the wired cars behind you would also slow rather than plow into your rear bumper.

Here in the US, all cars sold after 2010 are required to have electronic stability control, a technology that allows the cars computer to back off the gas and selectively brake all or individual wheels to help maintain stability in emergency situations. The recent deaths of several teenagers in a rollover on the freeway could have been avoided if their car had been so equipped. Integrating this with Cohda’s technology makes this doable now, not ten years from now. The Aussies plan large scale testing later this year. If all goes well, we could be seeing this technology as early as 2012.

Have your ever dreamed of typing your destination into your GPS and then having your car drive you there while you had another cup of coffee and read the paper? The reality is not that far away! The technology is just over the horizon, but our willingness is something else: Perhaps issues of privacy and control, with “soulless” machines driving about will be challenges we will have too face personally before we get that next cup of coffee!

(1) http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/96legacy/car.html

(2) http://www.cohdawireless.com/