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A Layperson's View of Future Technology and Society

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Future Technology

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Future Cars

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Future Cars

Future Cars

Vehicles serve as transmitters or receivers of information, which they can also forward to other vehicles like a relay runner passing a baton.

Intelligent Vehicles

Fuel efficient, zero emission vehicles will use high tech electronics to assist drivers in a wide variety of ways. Vehicles will communicate with each other, with the road and with traffic signals. Autos and trucks of the future will use vision enhancement devices to help you navigate through bad weather and warn you of a possible collision with a pedestrian or animal. They will also let you know if you are getting drowsy or straying from your lane. Cars of the future will be radically different than the automobiles of today, and so will the driving experience.

Accident Free Driving

Obstacle detection, collision avoidance and intersection warning systems are being tested right now by governments and automobile manufacturers. Radio signals, sensors and cameras, future vehicles will help avoid accidents by examining the environment in real time and notifying the driver of potential problems.

futuristic dashboard

Pedestrian and animal warning systems could use infrared or other detection technologies to identify large animals approaching the roadway, and alert drivers by activating flashers on warning signs. These systems may also activate in-vehicle warning devices.

Autos That Talk and Listen

While you are driving, your vehicles will communicate with the cars and trucks around you. Your future car will notify you when trucks are merging into your lane or motorcycles are in your blind spot. Smart intersections will sense vehicles from all directions and alert you of a possible collision.

Vision Enhancement

In vehicle Vision Enhancement Systems will improve visibility for night driving, inadequate lighting, fog, drifting snow, or other inclement weather driving conditions

User Interface

Cars of the future will do a better job of keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Voice recognition will provide a hands free way of accessing your on board computer and navigation system. But your on board computer may do more than talk back.

Haptic interfaces are human/computer interfaces.

Haptics exploits human behavior, since people are more likely to pay attention to tactile cues than visual cues. With haptic interfaces, a computer could receive or convey information through touch, pressure, force or vibration. For example, sensors embedded in the exterior of a car could feel if it's veering too close to another vehicle. That message could be relayed to the driver's seat, which could alert the driver to the danger with a tap on the shoulder.

Connected Cars

Using GPS, cameras and sensors, vehicle-to-vehicle communication could help avoid accidents. For example, a vehicle in an accident could warn approaching traffic to slow down. Blind spots could be eliminated. Communicating cars could also improve traffic flow by taking the best routes or by telling you when you are driving like a tourist.

Vehicle2Vehicle Communication

CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium

Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

Crash warning for connected cars?

Driverless Transportation

Mass transit in the future will be low cost, personalized and environmentally friendly. Here are some online articles I found interesting on the future of driverless transit.

PRT (Personal Rapid Transit)

Driverless Car

Bringing Robot Transportation to Europe

The Driver-less Future of Transportation

The H-Bahn

Cabintaxi PRT System

Robotic Cars Could Take Pressure Off Highways

Autoshuttle

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future concept car Send us a link to a concept car using the form below.  

 

Future Car Articles, Blogs and Web Sites

All Links open in a new window. Bold = Recommended. Links do not imply endorsement.

Future Car Articles
Title Source Date
Commercial Version of the MIT Media Lab CityCar Unveiled MIT Media Lab 01/12
Your Connected Vehicle Is Arriving Technology Review 01/12
Autonomo - fully autonomous vehicle designed for the year 2030 Gizmag 11/11
50 Companies Team to Create Open Source Electronic Vehicle Wired Autopia 11/11
How Google's Self-Driving Car Works IEEE Spectrum 10/11
Smart cars that are actually, well, smart MIT 06/11
Ford, Google Team Up to Make Smarter Cars Wired 05/11
First 3D-Printed Car Hits The Road TreeHugger 11/10
German scientists see golden future for 'self-driving' cars PhysOrg 10/10
The future is now at MIT Media Lab CNET 07/10
YeZ concept car sucks in C02, exhales oxygen CNET 07/10
Touch Down Concept Car TFTS 06/10
Giving new meaning to 'smart car' PhysOrg 05/10
Rinspeed iChange Concept Car Short Movie YouTube 02/09
Honda displays 21st-century supercar concept CNET 11/08
Car of the Future (PBS video) YouTube 04/08
Future Cars (video) YouTube 03/08
Rinspeed's first underwater car YouTube 01/08

 

Future Car Web Sites and Blogs
Title Description
Car Concepts 2007 Tokyo Motor Show
Car Design News Contest 2008 Winners
City car Awesome animation
Concept cars Car Body Design
Electric car Milner Motors
Extreme 'green' cars of the future CNN
Fuel cell car Honda
Hydrogen fuel cells Future For All
Lightning Electric Car EnviroTech
Nissan Pivo2 Concept car
sQuba Amphibious Car
Technicity Daimler
The City Car MIT

 

Future Car Videos
Title Source
Cars Will Talk Within Five Years Forbes 2011
The Car That Runs On Air CNN 2010
Cars Of Future Youtube 2009
Dr Michio Kaku's FutureCar Youtube 2008
Future Cars Youtube 2008
Futuristic Japanese Cars Youtube 2008
Ultimate Concept Cars - The Cars Of The Future Youtube 2008

 

References
Article Sources
Future Cars Article by futureforall.org
Image courtesy of Daimler AG
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