retroremakes
March 7th, 2010, 20:05
It was only a matter of time before some compulsive texter found a way to get text messaging and driving together again. Called the Road Train (http://gizmodo.com/tag/roadtrain/), it's mean to save fuel, but we know it's true purpose, don't we? [BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8349923.stm)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road-train-1.jpgThe Road Train is based on drafting, that age-old technique that NASCAR drivers use to make passing easier and that those suicidal Mythbusters proved was legit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%282007_season%29#Drafting_For_Money) when they coasted 10 feet behind a big rig at constant velocity.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train2_466.jpgIn this case, however, the system is automated. Cars opt in and opt out at the driver's convenience, forming a moving, amorphous "train" of vehicles that maintain constant speed and distance form one another thanks to software.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train3_466.jpgUnlike many cool ideas/concepts, this one is actually being tested, right now, in Europe by Ricardo UK.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train4_466.jpgThe three-year trial will see seven wireless-linked vehicles traveling the continent as part of an attempt to achieve a 20% fuel consumption reduction per vehicle. Reduced travel times and congestion are also goals.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train5_466.jpgAnd don't forget texting. We may soon return to a world where texting while driving is just obnoxious, not deadly, as it is today. [BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8349923.stm) via Treehugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/road-trains-autopilot-driving-system-cuts-fuel-travel-time.php)]
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http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road-train-1.jpgThe Road Train is based on drafting, that age-old technique that NASCAR drivers use to make passing easier and that those suicidal Mythbusters proved was legit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%282007_season%29#Drafting_For_Money) when they coasted 10 feet behind a big rig at constant velocity.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train2_466.jpgIn this case, however, the system is automated. Cars opt in and opt out at the driver's convenience, forming a moving, amorphous "train" of vehicles that maintain constant speed and distance form one another thanks to software.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train3_466.jpgUnlike many cool ideas/concepts, this one is actually being tested, right now, in Europe by Ricardo UK.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train4_466.jpgThe three-year trial will see seven wireless-linked vehicles traveling the continent as part of an attempt to achieve a 20% fuel consumption reduction per vehicle. Reduced travel times and congestion are also goals.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/03/340x_road_train5_466.jpgAnd don't forget texting. We may soon return to a world where texting while driving is just obnoxious, not deadly, as it is today. [BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8349923.stm) via Treehugger (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/road-trains-autopilot-driving-system-cuts-fuel-travel-time.php)]
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