Abstract
Today the industries' technological capabilities for totally networked traffic are better than its ability to realize systems. The reason for this lies in the fact, that interoperability must be assured before such a system is launched. Unlike the Telecom industry, which always starts on standardization efforts much before the technological capability is reached, the automotive industry lacks standards in this domain.
The article will describe the requirements for totally connected traffic, where cars communicate among themselves directly, without intervention of server based infrastructure. This mobile ad-hoc-network created through the traffic participants will enable a new wealth of safety features previously unthinkable.
The three major technological elements of this technology are existent and will be described:
1. Microsystems technology provides cheap means to sense data and collect a wealth of information about the car, its dynamic status, position, and the surrounding environment. As the MST-technology is compatible with usual microelectronics, the integration synergy is tremendous, starting from putting these close together until monolithic integration in the future, further reducing system cost and increasing its reliability.
2. Microelectronics technology advancements make it possible to place computing performance close to the sensing devices. Today's embedded single chip computing devices come with memory sizes of last decade's Personal Computers at 10x the computing speed. The computing performance installed is able to compress and treat the captured data and run the transmission protocols.
3. Network technology, wired and wireless, will become abundant, especially as the GHz-bands are opening and freeing new wireless bandwidth. This provides the traffic participants with cheap means to transmit collected data to the systems in need for the data. The advantage is clear and typical for networked systems: it is not required to capture all the data from the consuming system, but relies on the network to provide them. The cost saving is tremendous.
With these three existing technological elements, which will be further developed in the coming years, accident free driving is within reach of the next decade, together with unprecedented information about traffic and road conditions, reaching into jam free traffic. In total, much better utilization of the road infrastructure will result, with very minor investments into infrastructure, as the system could follow the internet growth pattern if those business mechanism are copied.
However this requires a concerted effort of all involved stakeholders, which are:
- Industry parties such as the car industry and its supply structure,
- Local and federal authorities including its political structures,
- The consumers with representation by its associations,
- Insurance and other automotive economy related industries
- and finally academia and research entities in this field.
Rather than on the technical side, the challenge for this endeavour lies on the unification process of all involved parties towards this common vision. The establishment of global and open standards will be the decisive factor in putting the technology of "ambient intelligence" in place for multiplied benefit of the consumer.
In this sense the paper will be a call for action to finally put available technology to work for an unprecedented pervasive safety architecture.