Following the analogy of the PC and the car, the next stage of evolution for the car will be to achieve a form of distributed management.
The aims of distributed management will be to:
- Make cars more reliable, safer, more secure.
- Handle the conflicting interactions between cars sharing the same network.
- Provide a degree of social control.
For the user:
- SMS message if your car moves when it is outside your own mobile phone radio cell.
- Automatic collision avoidance between two cars in the same vicinity. If another car is approaching, the cars are automatically alerted and take avoidance measure.
- Auto alert for parts failure.
- Journey report and analysis.
For the network
- Auto-streaming. You join a busy segment of the network and your car comes under auto-control, regulating the speed and distance until you leave the segment. This allows many more cars to use the segment at a much faster average speed.
- Auto-junction. You approach a junction. Your car obtains a ticket to cross. You are allowed to cross in the most balanced effective pattern. Your speed and direction are controlled for the duration of the crossing.
- Space-finder. Automatic parking space identification, first-in priority and guidance to space.
- Auto-pay for parking spaces, toll roads and controlled zones.
Social control
- Your car will not start without a valid license and insurance.
- Trucks are disabled from entering residential zones at night.
- Cars receive penalties for stopping in controlled zones.
- Monthly emission allowance calculated on actual emissions.
- Accident and near-miss investigations. Authorities study data to identify dangerous driving.
- Dangerous drivers disabled from driving any vehicle.
- Auto-enforcement of traffic directions (no right turn, one way).
For network optimisation, you would need to achieve a critical mass where enough vehicles were capable of using the system for it to be worth having the system. The best way to do this would be to provide some sort of independent benefit irrespective of other users. For example:
- congested roads and bridges open at peak time only to networked vehicles
- traffic lights change at clear junctions for networked vehicles.
Any more ideas?