The connection of the car: Knight Rider meets George Jetson

DOT

The idea of intelligent cars is in the stream.

By Rob Lovitt, msnbc.com Contributor

Are we there yet?

In the near future, the answer may come from a surprising source: your car.

Earlier in the province of cheesy TV — Ah, the "Knight Rider," we know – and a handful of luxury cars, the idea of intelligent cars is in the stream.

"It's a lot of interest from all aspects of the community," said Wes Sherwood, a spokeswoman for Ford Motor Co. "businessmen, politicians, the general public--people are starting to head around it."

"It" is everything from Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) – in the car, a technology that automatically adjusts its cruise control or provides a warning when they disappeared from their lane-so-called "connected cars" that will be able to "speak" and the surrounding infrastructure.

"ADAS is no longer available in the high-end luxury cars," said David Alexander, Chief Analyst, automotive technology, ABI Research. "Suddenly this year, it happens on a wider range of cars."

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz S-Class technology offers, including blindness detection and collision prevention assistance this year, the class b vehicles.

Examples include the 2012 Ford Focus, which features the active, parking assistance, and 2012 vehicles Mercedes B-class, which can boast with functionality, including the detection and prevention of collisions with blindness.

As such systems much more widespread, it will also play a role in the development of intelligent transport systems (its), in which the car actually communicate with other vehicles, traffic lights, crossings, etc.

Although practical systems are still a few years, this technology is already being tested. This month, the Ministry of transport (dot) is the management of the clinic in six cities to see drivers in specially equipped cars to respond to the warning in a car collision, if any, relating to "pass through" notices and other hazards. The Agency is also holds public meeting/webinar on the topic in Chicago in August 2-3.

Long-term benefits can be significant. "Technology has the potential to connect vehicles at 81 per cent of all the driver may not related crashes," said Peter Appel, administrator of the research and innovative technology administration, a period in the statement.

On the other hand, the notion of people, even less attention on the road than it is today has its own risk. As well as off road wagons and other technologies give the driver an unjustified confidence in uncertain conditions, smart cars may also support other silly behavior.

"These are systems of assistance for the driver," he said. "They are looking for, talk to other cars, but there are, for the text driver to your friends or check his Facebook page. It is always a danger. "

It is, of course, the next question is, and which may require more information than some of the drivers will be able to at all. Meanwhile, somewhere between the self-driving car currently in development, and the famous Jetsonesque of the future, there is no doubt the road ahead will be connected one.

"Smart car is connected to smart and smart infrastructure," said Sherwood, "then you can start to seem almost endless possibilities how you can make more efficient and more pleasant."

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Rob Lovitt is a travel writer, who still believe that the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him on Twitter.

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