• GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    4 months ago

    I’ve thought about this idea for a long time.

    Having sensors in the road (along the side and middle line) and receivers on cars would do a lot of good.

    The sensors could tell the car how close it is to the side/middle. They could tell the car how close other cars are around them. They could tell the car the condition of the road surface (ex wet or icy). They could be programmed to the speed limit of the road and keep the cars moving at that speed. Probably many others uses.

    The downside is building a sensor that can withstand weather, traffic, crumbling infrastructure. Also they would have to have a way to stay powered up for years. And if you made them re-programmable there is another level of security that needs to be added to them. And then there is the cost to retro-fit all the roads with these sensors and building a common receiver that could be installed on new cars.

    I don’t think my idea is practical at all but it’s a cool idea

    • Usernameblankface@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      4 months ago

      Surely there is a viable, inexpensive, simple solution. I think it would have to be a permanently programmed chip type of thing that is cheap enough that if you want to change the speed limit or lane specifications, it would be cost effective to replace all the chips along that length of road.