Cars and Computers - Thinking about Safety

Entertainment technology may sound like great fun, but aren't you supposed to be keeping your eyes—and your mind—on the road? Lexus' LS 430 and Mercedes-Benz's S-Class, CL-Class, and new SL-Class models are available with laser- or radar-assisted cruise control systems that use the car's throttle and braking systems to keep it a preset distance from the car in front of it. Similar systems are used in many luxury models to assist while parallel parking, helping drivers protect their expensive paint jobs from other cars' bumpers. Carmakers have been doing research into using radar, laser, and ultrasonic sensors to monitor the area around a vehicle as it moves. Using such a system, the car would continously evaluate the driving situation to determine if the person at the wheel was paying attention. If it found a potentially dangerous situation that the driver wasn't aware of, it would sound an alarm or otherwise alert the driver—by applying light pressure to the brakes, for example.

Volvo's 2001 Safety Concept Car demonstrates many of these technologies and gives a glimpse of how an auto of the future might interact with its driver—even when the driver isn't in it. The SCC's remote control is similar to a highly sophisticated PDA, with a fingerprint scanner to identify its user as the owner and the ability to do nifty tricks, such as automatically unlocking the doors as the driver approaches with the remote in his or her pocket. Inside the SCC is a heartbeat sensor that can either monitor the status of a pet left inside (perish the thought) or detect the presence of a potential attacker hiding in the rear seat and send you a warning.

Early versions of many of these types of safety and security technologies exist today. GM's OnStar is available on 36 of its own models, as well as on vehicles from Acura, Audi, and Lexus. OnStar and other services offer amenities such as remote door unlocking, stolen vehicle tracking, and remote vehicle diagnostics, as well as air bag deployment alerts that contact OnStar and ask for help if you're in an accident.

Thanks to the late great Yahoo Internet Life For This Series