Our roads are gaining intelligence that offers increased safety for motorists and environmental benefits for the whole community. However, machines are developing much faster. In a short period of time, cars have evolved from low-power, slow, dangerous in every way vehicles to strong, fast, durable and extremely intelligent structures that can reach incredible speeds on highways and independently park in narrow lanes. Roads change slowly, although it is worth noting that they change — from smart asphalt pavement to paints and lighting. Today we will tell you about the most interesting innovations that are becoming part of the road infrastructure..
Road paint
Artists in the Netherlands have come up with a special reactive paint that is being tested today and will be ready to launch at the end of the year. Studio Roosegaarde paint is a photoluminescent powder with a wide range of applications. It can glow in the dark for 10 hours, allowing it to illuminate especially dark alleys without street lights. In another form, paint can react to freezing temperatures and alert motorists by revealing the presence of ice crystals on the road surface. In addition, the same technology can be used in Dynamic Lines, a technique for creating solid lines that can change color from black to white. These solid lines can appear as needed and disappear as needed..
Wireless charger
Wireless chargers on the road can reduce the cost of producing electric vehicles. People are already starting to use this method to charge electric buses in Korea, Germany and Italy. New, smart roads will enable more EVs in the future. The advantage for the production of such vehicles will be the absence of a bulky battery, which will reduce costs and reduce the cost of the final product. Special lanes organized for electric vehicles will also provide an incentive to replace a conventional car with an electric car and reduce congestion..
Variable lighting
You can buy lanterns for your site, but to save energy, city road and street lighting is turned off early in the morning. But what if the lights along the road could be powered entirely by passing cars? Designers from Roosegaard have come up with a series of miniature roadside wind turbines with fixed lamps that are powered by the energy of a passing car. The idea received an award and attention, but only time will tell whether the roads will see this technology in action.
Road surface fed by dirt
Automobile manufacturers spend a huge amount of money on reducing their exhaust emissions, and it would be great if the road surface helps to get rid of what does get into the atmosphere from cars. In the Netherlands, a road surface that feeds on pollution is being tested — in a year it was found that the amount of harmful nitrogen oxides was reduced by 19%.
Road signs right in front of the car
We know that some drivers do not notice road signs. The Australian company has come up with the perfect solution — a sign that pops up right in front of the car. But we are not talking about solid signs, of course. Laservision has developed an alternative sign that projects onto a foggy screen along the road. No damage to the car, but it will be difficult to ignore such a warning. The idea, by the way, is so good that it is used in front of the Sydney Harbor tunnel. The company says that some countries are showing great interest in the idea..
Internet connected road
Mobile W-Fi can be a fairytale on the road. The first road connected to the Internet is planned for the UK along the A14 between Felixstowe and Birmingham. They decided to distribute the Internet there not in order to improve your access to Instagram, but in order to give you detailed information about traffic. The sensors will send information to phones and car dashboards using innovative technology. This form of technology sends a wireless signal at intervals in television broadcasts rather than on a mobile network..