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It’s tipped that talking cars a la KIT in popular retro show Knight Rider could become a reality in as few as three years.
It’s tipped that talking cars a la KIT in popular retro show Knight Rider could become a reality in as few as three years.
A group of South Australian university researchers have developed the technology, that uses a Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) system to broadcast information to other cars via GPS and WiFi.
Speaking with news.com, Alex Grant, director of the University of SA’s Institute for Telecommunications Research, said information in the vehicle would be updated at a rate of 10 times a second.
“Cars can actually figure out where there would be a safety issue, for instance, around blind corners or when a car further ahead stops suddenly causing cars in front of you to brake,” said Professor Grant .
“When a safety issue occurs, a number of things can happen, such as a caution alert for the driver, saying OK, it’s better to put the brakes on now. In extreme circumstances it can control sections of the car. If a crash is inevitable, it can start actions such as seatbelt tensioning and deploying the airbags.”
The device is currently in field trials in the US with a large scale trial planned for Adelaide. The device is expected to be available to fit in cars as soon as 2012.
