Netherlands getting glow-in-the-dark, color-changing Smart Highway
11-09-12, 09:08 PM
#1
Netherlands getting glow-in-the-dark, color-changing Smart Highway
Netherlands getting glow-in-the-dark, color-changing Smart Highway
Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/smart...photo-5421236/
Most automotive safety advancements these days are being made either through the automakers or government standards, but one group in the Netherlands is coming up with innovative ways of making the roads safer... literally. Design firm Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure have teamed up to introduce ideas for a so-called "Smart Highway" which was recently named the Best Future Concept at the Dutch Design Awards.
Incorporating ideas such as color-changing road paint, glow-in-the-dark lane markers and interactive street lights, the Smart Highway could help drivers on multiple levels. Using glow-in-the-dark lines road seems like a relatively low-cost idea for improving visibility (especially in rural areas) while the interactive lights use motion sensors to illuminate the roadways only when cars are detected, a feature that sounds like it will reduce costs by reducing electricity usage, with the side benefit of curbing light pollution. The dynamic, color-changing road paint can adjust based on the weather to warn drivers of potentially dangerous road conditions, including displaying large snowflake graphics on the road's surface to warn of ice.
Other elements of the Smart Highway include wind lights and dedicated electric vehicle lanes that use a wireless induction charging system. The press release says that some elements of the Smart Highway could become a reality within the next five years, but Designboom says Dutch drivers could see the technology on the roads as soon as next year.
Video and Source:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/09/n...g-smart-highw/
11-09-12, 09:53 PM
#3
Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 12,041
Likes: 0
Received 69 Likes
on
42 Posts
...certainly cool but the reflective lane dividers we use now works in pretty much the same way with no cost whatsoever. Have you noticed that those lane divider bumps reflect red if you go the wrong way?
11-10-12, 06:18 AM
#4
I was reading about this yesterday. I do hope cities or provinces/states in North America start doing that here. Especially here in Montreal, seeing some spots the lines are so faded you can't see where the lanes are anymore and the same goes when its raining at night.
11-10-12, 08:03 AM
#5
keep in mind that most of the europe does not use those... it might be more expensive than these glowing lines.
11-10-12, 09:29 AM
#7
Out of Warranty
I seem to remember some kind of "interactive" lights proposed for a Western US highway, maybe it was the I-15 out of LA to Vegas . . . It's all great - streetlights along the route illuminate as cars heave into view, then extinguish after the car has passed. It's fine until someone has a breakdown . . . pulls off to the side of the road, and the lights go out. Then someone boring along in his own pool of light comes out of the black to discover a car on the roadside a hundred yards ahead. Oops! That's gonna require a re-think.
Besides, with the traffic on I-15, I'm not sure the lights would ever go out.
Besides, with the traffic on I-15, I'm not sure the lights would ever go out.
Trending Topics
05-06-14, 06:01 PM
#11
Glow-in-the-dark roads put on hold due to technical glitches
Any dreams that you may have of cruising along the Netherlands' Tron-like, glow-in-the-dark roads are ruined – for now. The pilot project to test the glimmering streets fizzled because the illumination just wasn't bright enough in many situations, and it failed at times when it was needed most.
The concept behind the shining roads is still rather ingenious. It even won the Best Future Concept at the Dutch Design Awards. The lane and edge lines use a special paint that absorbs ultraviolet light during the day and glows at night. It's supposed to offer an energy-efficient alternative to street lamps, especially in rural areas. However, the paint didn't perform well in real-world testing. The lines didn't give off a uniform amount of light, and during heavy rains, they weren't bright enough to be seen.
Still, engineering firm Heijmans Infrastructure isn't deterred by the initial problems. According to Engadget, it's working Glowing Lines 2.0 for another test on roads this summer. In the meantime, the current lines have been faded to avoid confusing drivers.
The company's goal is to eventually have a multiple types of smart highway technology. Its original plan included motion-sensing road lights to save energy and color-changing road paint that adjusted based on the weather. It even wanted to build special lanes with wireless inductive charging. Every breakthrough starts with one small step, and once Heijmans figures out the glowing road, maybe it can move forward with the rest of its futuristic plans.
The concept behind the shining roads is still rather ingenious. It even won the Best Future Concept at the Dutch Design Awards. The lane and edge lines use a special paint that absorbs ultraviolet light during the day and glows at night. It's supposed to offer an energy-efficient alternative to street lamps, especially in rural areas. However, the paint didn't perform well in real-world testing. The lines didn't give off a uniform amount of light, and during heavy rains, they weren't bright enough to be seen.
Still, engineering firm Heijmans Infrastructure isn't deterred by the initial problems. According to Engadget, it's working Glowing Lines 2.0 for another test on roads this summer. In the meantime, the current lines have been faded to avoid confusing drivers.
The company's goal is to eventually have a multiple types of smart highway technology. Its original plan included motion-sensing road lights to save energy and color-changing road paint that adjusted based on the weather. It even wanted to build special lanes with wireless inductive charging. Every breakthrough starts with one small step, and once Heijmans figures out the glowing road, maybe it can move forward with the rest of its futuristic plans.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Hoovey689
Car Chat
2
09-19-13 01:06 PM
