Future Watch

Cruising Twenty-First Century Style

Dave Andrews

Smart cruise controls for cars could prevent drowsy drivers in the future from drifting out of their lane or driving too fast around a curve. Today's cruise-control systems let you set a preferred speed at which your car will travel, freeing you from the tedium of stepping on and off the accelerator on long drives. Researchers at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) are working on next-generation systems that combine visual sensors and microprocessors. These intelligent systems will change speeds relative t o the curvature of the road. They will also be able to warn you if you are not traveling in the correct lane and alert you to potential obstacles, even ones you can't see. Another possibility is maintaining a certain distance bet ween your car and the one in front of you.

This is one of several new uses of robotics (for others, see this month's interview "Beyond R2D2"). Takeo Kanade, director of the Robotics Institute, says smart cruise-control systems should be ready in about two years. However, before they start showing up in cars of the twenty-first century, car manufacturers and the public will need to accept the concept.