Creating "Smart" Cars

Carnegie Mellon Builds New Technologies for the Family Car
Chriss Swaney

Will we still drive our cars, or will our cars drive us? We already have onboard navigation systems, infrared night vision, in-car satellite links, antiskid brakes and other electronic Samaritans ready to assist us when we need help behind the wheel.

Just around the corner, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers, are smart highways embedded with millions of tiny sensors and even smarter cars that are constantly aware of the traffic that is flowing around them. Drivers in the not-too-distant future will navigate from their home to the nearest freeway entrance ramp, at which time the car must take control of much of the driving task. Commuters will barrel down the highway at 120 mph with only a few inches between their car and the next. But will they be concerned?

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