Auto Parts for Brains

With Hollywood spewing forth Science fiction movies left and right, many times we are given a peek into what the future might be like. Though, many portrayals of the not too distant future is done with an aim to delight the audience, a lot of the devices, and concepts shown in these movies are based on on-going research and might actually be used soon.

One of the things that film makers never fail to include in their visions for the future is the way we travel from one place to another. From the time machine of “Back to The Future”, to the flying cars in Minority Report, we have been given a peek of how our rides might look like a few years from now.

Though flying cars and highway-less cities are still far from becoming a reality, many concepts and innovations are currently being developed which could redefine the way we move around on four wheels.

Here is a peek on 5 technologies that might be available soon for the future motorist.

Cars that talk with each other and drive on their own

With a goal to prevent crashes by having cars predict a potential accident and autonomously take necessary changes to avoid it, scientists are looking for ways to make cars smarter. One way devised to do this is to have cars communicate with each other. Last year, the Federal Communications Commission cleared the 5.9 gigahertz band for dedicated short range communication (DSRC) between cars and road side transceivers. With this, cars can then receive their precise location in real time, monitor their stability control systems as well as their velocity and direction. This information can then be passed to cars around them including those in ones projected path. The challenge is to effectively calculate the probability of an accident, compare data between cars on the road and transmit detected threats to all involved cars.

Car manufacturers like Volkswagen and General Motors have already fitted some of their concept models with DSCR and using communication between vehicles were able to have the cars run on their own. The Cadillac from GM can communicate with other DSCR vehicles and can apply the brakes without driver input when detecting a stopped car in its path.

Cars that talk with you

Far from going fully autonomous, Honda came up with a car that communicates with its driver by tactile stimuli to warn of potential threat. Calling it Haptic feedback, engineers at Honda’s R and D plan on steering wheels that vibrate or pedals that shake to inform the driver of potential accidents.

In the future, cars can also send a message to the driver via email when it detects any trouble in its engine. Far from the current system of previously scheduling tune ups and oil change and then sending info about that, cars a few years from now will have the ability to self diagnose and pinpoint malfunctions or defective auto parts.

Smart Windshields

What does a Limited edition Ferrari Supramerica have that your car does not? How about a glass that darkens itself with a turn of a dial to limit sunlight during extremely sunny days? From French company Saint-Gobain, the roof of the sports car uses an electrochromic glass that is infused with tungsten wires. This enables it to darken by charging an oxide coating on the glass. This does not only block UV rays but heat as well, keeping the temperature inside your car controlled and straining your AC less.

Driving with Joysticks. Atari style!

A recent Mercedes SL class concept car has one thing missing. You guessed it right. It does not have a steering wheel. What it has instead is a side stick which makers claim is more precise and intuitive than the conventional steering wheel. This will definitely give gamers something to look forward to. No more need to buy a steering wheel game controller when playing Gran Turismo.

Morphing Tires

Using electroactive polymers that has the ability to change shapes with an electrical charge, designer James Owen thinks this technology, usually used in robotics, can be used on our cars. His design garnered an award last year from Michelin where he proposed wheels that can change shape according to its use. By getting power from a hybrid electric motor, your car’s high performance smooth tires can be instantly turned to dirt treads.