If you read the car magazines, you can see it coming. Now we have adaptive cruise control which tracks the car in front of you and slows if necessary to keep a good following distance. Then there is lane departure warning which watches for drifting out of the lane without signaling. A number of cars have a “brake assist” where if the car detects an imminent collision, it gives maximum braking power to the slightest nudge of the pedal. One of the features designed into Onstar (GM’s feature that alerts someone if you have an accident or problem), is that it can allow vehicles to communicate with each other as well as a central network. A number of European cars are coming out with a system that can actually “read” the speed limit signs. It makes a circle around them on the windshield and if you are speeding, it makes the circle flash on and off! Volvo is working on accident avoidance where the car will actually steer itself away from trouble. They have big car shaped balloons they are practicing on. Most cars now have “drive by wire” where gas pedal isn’t hooked to the engine; it’s hooked to the computer. Steering will be next. It’s been that way in larger aircraft for years. Last year the defense department sponsored a race where driverless vehicles navigated a simulated urban course completely by them selves. I just read quote from Larry Burns, VP of R&D for GM who said “Imagine a world where there are no car crashes and very little traffic congestion ….Imagine being virtually chauffeured safely in your car while doing your e-mail, eating breakfast, and watching the news.”
Naturally a road full of computer controlled, driverless cars are going to have a hard time with a 53 Chevy. We better enjoy our cars while we can. With groups pushing tighter emission standards, safety, and going forward, special lanes and then whole highways where certain equipment is required, our grand kids (and maybe our kids) will have fewer places to practice our hobby.
Happy Holidays!
Leif
