Canadian government investing in future car technology
In the 1980s, David Hasselhoff had KITT, the car that could communicate with him in the television series "Knight Rider." If Ottawa researchers are successful, many Canadian motorists may have something similar within the next decade or two.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is giving $22.5 million in funding to scientists from four Canadian universities for research into a wide array of next-generation technologies. Researchers from the University of Ottawa have been charged with leading the development of a wireless communication system that would allow cars to communicate with drivers and other vehicles.
The program is called DIVA, short for Developing the next-generation Intelligent Vehicular networks and Applications. Professor Azzedine Boukerche, who's leading the research, is hopeful that the communication technology may prevent future accidents.
"We are trying to see what the car would look like in the next five, 10, 15 years," he told the paper. "This is what we would like to see the car look like in the future."
The improved technology cars have already developed, like rear-view cameras, has some regulators hoping car makers will eventually be required to use them, leading to fewer accidents and auto insurance claims.