LSU Is Working On Autos That Can Communicate

LSU is conducting research on cars that will have the ability to communicate with each other.  The technology is similar to Wi-Fi and will allow cars to collect and exchange traffic information with each other.

Professor Sherif Ishak says this will improve road safety. "When you have traffic information that's up to date, you're able to avoid locations where there is heavy congestion.   And by doing that, you're improving safety of the entire network."

Ishak says this technology will also have the ability to reduce delays and cut down on car pollution.  He says cars will be able to warn drivers down the road of accidents, traffic jams, and other road hazards.  Ishak says it's a simple system.

"If you have enough market penetration of those vehicles, at some point of time in the future, then you will have good coverage of the network.  And then information will be hopping from one vehicle to the other."

He says information will be passed from one vehicle to another along the network.  The more vehicles on the road with this technology the farther the information will travel.  Ishak says studies of the system are currently underway.

"It's still in the development stage.  The implementation is probably just a few years in the future because they have to make sure everything works before it is actually in the market."

What's next, your car will be posting updates on Facebook?. Something tells me the insurance industry will love this.

Louisiana Radio Network