Interesting Automotive Technology

If you are into cars, you probably know most of the newest innovations that are being added to automobiles every year. If you are not a car geek, you will be fascinated to hear about a few of the improvements, safety features, and luxury touches that are going to become standard features on all vehicles in the very near future.

1. Many cars are already, or are in the process of, being equipped with automatic braking systems. This technology is predicted to have the capacity to stop a large percentage of automobile accidents and to save hundreds of thousands of lives. A radar equipped car will sense that the vehicle is getting too close to another car or object and will automatically begin to brake. Some models will emit a sound to alert the driver to slow down and/or stop the vehicle.
2. Richard Robinson an iSuppli telematics analyst says, “In five year, nearly 25 percent of cars will be connected to the internet.” The web service will not only entertain but will also improve safety by increasing the awareness of the driver; by eliminating distractions; and will change the way automobiles connect to wireless technology. Car dealers will have app stores, and upgrades will mean buying new software as it comes into being.
3. Cars that will be able to see accidents coming through the use of a radio beacon are being designed now. This improvement is only a few years off, and by transmitting a signal will allow drivers to be alerted to possible accidents and collisions. The technology will be called V2V or Vehicle to Vehicle Communications. Imagine the possibilities, when, eventually, automobile manufacturers will no longer have to design vehicles based solely on their ability to survive collisions.
4. John Mooring an automotive engineer predicts that solar panels will become standard features on future automobiles. The panels will power the battery, air conditioning, and, of course, improve gas mileage.
5. Scientists have been working on, but have not quite perfected, “predictive active suspension” which will allow the vehicle to automatically compensate for potholes, washboard roads, and our crumbling highways.
6. Most of us grew up asking when this was going to happen, and now it is very close indeed. The self-driving car is being perfected right now.
7. Using a computer to analyze where and when the sun will be shining into a driver’s eyes is going to be the “sun visor” of the future. After assessing where the spot of sun will be, the computer will darken that portion of the windshield thereby blocking the sun from the driver’s eyes.
8. Ever had a child ask “Are we there yet?” If you have you are going to love this new piece of family friendly technology. It is composed of a screen located for viewing in the back seat with its own GPS for kids. Included is a program that shows the route, interesting things to see, and includes a graphic character who plays games with the children, supplies them with in-car exercises, and tells them when it is “quiet time”. Sounds like a winner, right?

What we have only dreamed of in the past is slowing becoming reality. As Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”