Automotive engineers regularly introduce new technologies and devices to provide greater safety, comfort, or entertainment for drivers. We are talking about the developments of the future that are being tested on the roads today. Autopilot, gesture control, augmented reality, airless tires, and more – all this is becoming our new reality.
1) Head-up displays (HUD) and augmented reality
This technology, originally developed for military aviation, makes it possible to project navigation and other important information on the windshield. Recently, the system started being used in the automotive industry. The display on the windshield mainly allows the driver to keep his eyes on the road and not be distracted by checking the dashboard. At the moment, about 2% of cars are already equipped with this technology. By the way, the drivers of AR and VR technologies are considered game developers, so the best online pokies and VR console games are the best examples.
2) Cars with an autopilot function
For the past 5 years, all of the world’s leading automakers have been developing autopilot vehicles. Audi, BMW, Nissan, Honda, GM, and Mercedes regularly report that their prototype self-driving cars do thousands of miles in testing. Volvo showed its model in Gothenburg, which, thanks to sensors, GPS, and other technologies, practically eliminates the possibility of getting into an accident. Above all, robotic machines will save lives. A computer will be able to simultaneously track all objects on the road and instantly respond to emergency situations.
3) Energy-storing body panels
Exxon Mobil predicts that by 2040, half of all new vehicles that come off the assembly line will be hybrid. However, hybrid cars have one problem: the batteries are very bulky and heavy. In Europe, a group of nine automakers is currently testing body panels that can store energy and charge faster than conventional batteries. They are made from polymer carbon fiber and resin and are very durable. Thanks to the development, the weight of vehicles can be reduced by 15%.
4) Airless tires
Bridgestone Corporation has developed non-pneumatic (airless) tires that have a strong potential to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional tires. The specially designed tires, made of thermoplastic resin, support the vehicle’s weight thanks to the curved needles.
5) Smart headlights
Driving in the rain or snow at night can be difficult not only because of the wet and slippery road but also because the headlights of the car illuminate drops or snowflakes instead of the road. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a headlight system that combines a camera, projector, separation prism, and processor that miraculously avoids droplets in the driver’s view. The camera detects the droplets, the processor determines their future location, the projector, in turn, “bypasses” the particles, illuminating only what is behind them. In this case, the whole process takes about 13 milliseconds.
6) Control with gestures
Of course, driving your car waving your hands in the air is impossible today, but to open a window or turn on the heating without touching the dashboard is already quite real. Google has registered technology that allows gestures to control the vehicle’s auxiliary systems. For example, by moving your open palm downward, you can open a window, and by moving your finger to the right and left, you can change the radio station.