Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Intelligent Road Studs

Posted by timothy on from the easy-there-stud dept.

Copley writes "The BBC have a short story about 'intelligent' cat's eyes (reflective road studs). I remember reading about the principle of these years ago. It seems that they've reached the real-world trial stage. The whole concept is pretty cool - the studs monitor weather and traffic speeds and change their colour accordingly. As you drive along, rather than see your own headlights reflected, you see a line of active lights indicating what you can expect ahead of you: stationary traffic, ice, etc. As I recall, one idea proposed was for your own car to leave a trail of lights behind it, the length of which related to your speed. The trail thus indicated the 'danger-you-are-too-close-you-moron' zone behind you. Drivers could then avoid driving within another car's trail. Neat idea, but I somehow doubt even the most technical of safety systems is ever going to change the driving habits of some of the brain-dead, tail-gating idiots I often have to share the roads with... Perhaps intelligent road studs with assault weaponry to take out bad drivers would be more useful!"

4 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. i'd like to see them work, but not here by lambent · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Too many hosers with a liscense already treat driving like a video game. And when people start paying too much attention to the blinking lights embedded in the roads ... watch out.

  2. Trail of lights by Rufus88 · · Score: 5, Insightful


    your own car to leave a trail of lights behind it, the length of which related to your speed
    Simple design: each light stays on for two seconds after you pass it. This enables drivers behind you to obey the "two second rule". If you come upon lights before they go out, you know you're following too closely.

    1. Re:Trail of lights by Rufus88 · · Score: 4, Insightful


      Really though, is counting to two that difficult?
      No, but keeping track of the precise spot on the road where the other guy was when you started counting, can be difficult.

  3. fog prone areas by 74Carlton · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Fog prone areas could definitely benefit from the trail of lights based on speed idea, since you wouldn't actually have to see the person in front to know they were there and how far back to be. Well, really if it's that foggy you probably shoudn't be scooting down the highway, but that never stops folks.