It's absolutely true that any technology that must be operated manually could eventually be automated. Once of the most pivotal technologies that humans still operate all over the world? Automobiles. We've all seen the popular science fiction films (I, Robot and Gattaca, for instance) where automated cars were the rule, not the exception; cruising along at peak efficiency with little more needed from its human occupants than to get inside. The technology today doesn't even approach that kind of large-scale automation, but there are existing technologies that allow automobiles to communicate with one another, increasing the potential for greater efficiency and safety. Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor will be running an unprecedented test of that technology.

The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor is well-placed for a wide-ranging test of short-wave radio communication between vehicles. Armed with a $14.6 million grant from the USDOT, the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute is planning on equipping 3,000 Ann Arbor vehicles with short-range radio to build a road-ready network for drivers and researchers. According to Popular Science, these smart-cars will transmit and record data from one another as they interact in real-time traffic; exchanging speed, direction, and GPS data whenever they come within range. Researchers believe that Ann Arbor is the perfect area to run their smart-car experiment. It's small enough that their 3,000 subjects will encounter one another fairly regularly, providing plenty of data during the life of the experiment. In addition, it's close to Detroit, providing access to the equipment needs and support from the big three automakers. However, many automakers have been working toward availability of this technology, creating the platforms necessary to run it. Drivers for the study will be pulled from the nearly 20,000 medical students at the university.

The DOT released statements estimating that this technology may mitigate up to 80% of unimpaired, vehicle-to-vehicle collisions by communicating to other cars the probability of incidents. Vehicles communicating one another's path, speed, and location could likely prevent, or at least decrease damage in everything from lane-change fender-benders to serious highway collisions, making the roads much safer for drivers. In addition, flow of traffic, particularly on interstates and highways, could be greatly improved by automobiles networks controlling speed, passing, and lane changes...possibly avoid those annoying pileups in the passing lanes!

The study, which is slated to last one year, will build up an immense body of data on the use of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. At that point the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will deliberate and, if approved, the tech could be seen in mainstream automobile production within the decade. The tech is a precursor to some of the more sci-fi sounding transportation scenarios like automated cars and user-free traffic patterns. That said, the tech could also reinvigorate the automotive industry. As cars become more fuel efficient and "green", they also may become even more intelligent. They're no Kit (Knight Rider?) but they're getting there.