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cars
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To know exactly when the first idea’s for the design of a car cam about you would probably have to go way back to 4000bc when the primitive man first made “the wheel” an invention which paved the way in so many ways today. Various wheel orientated inventions where devised thanks to the invention of the wheel such as hand carts, wheel burrows, horse and carriages, bicycles and soon enough the idea’s for the first ever automobile came around. Automobiles have changed a great deal since the invention of the Model T. Cars today look more like something from a science fiction movie rather than a normal car. Even with all of the technological advancements there are still many dangers while driving a car. Human error is probably the most dangerous of all. This essay will discuss how cars are being developed to be safer and more efficient to drive. Safety Advancements Many automotive engineers are working on systems that will reduce human driving errors. The systems will help to prevent some major causes of accidents such as drowsiness, tailgating and drinking and driving. For instance, General Motors has developed a cruise control that uses radar to detect other cars on the road. If the car is approaching too close then the brakes will be instantaneously applied by the system. Nissan Motor Company is developing a drowsiness warning system. A small video camera is placed in the car and it analyzes the drivers face. The eye blinks of the driver are measured and if the blinks become more frequent and longer, a loud beeping will be let out to awake the driver. As more and more smart cars are produced, driving will be safer and easier (Maclean's 46). Car Efficiency Engineers are developing a power system for electronic automobiles. They say that the electronic system will be as convenient as gasoline. It will be just as convenient because engineers have developed a way to generate power from the chemical breakdown of gasoline. Today’s engine uses a chemical reaction by igniting the fuel with a spark, only using 15 to 20 percent of the gasoline’s energy. Even most electric cars are not as efficient as they should be. Battery powered cars are efficient but they need to be recharged for several hours. Fuel cells are also very efficient but they are not perfect either. Fuel cells only work with hydrogen and methane, both can be very hazardous fuels (Tomorrows Engine 26). Multimedia and Travel The dashboard in an automobile is beginning to look more like a small computer rather than a simple radio. Radios and car phones are transforming into GPS navigation systems, DVD players, and even wireless Internet-access devices. A group of automotive engineers are developing a standard called the ITS Data Bus. This would then be the standard in all automotive cockpits and would accept such products as GPS systems, DVD players, and Internet devices. Intel is also developing a system that would be placed in the cockpits of cars. The system is called Connected Car PC Concept?. The Pentium based system would allow the driver to watch DVD movies, read e-mail, and download weather and traffic information from an Internet connection (Junko Yoshida (INFRO FROM HERLD SUN)-----> According to Terry Costlow, Delco has produced a computer system that is controlled by buttons on the steering wheel . The system is driven by a graphics processor to reflect an image that will show up on the windshield. A series of mirrors reflects the image onto the windshield. The image would show things like incoming e-mail and weather information. The main goal is to let the driver be able to control everything in the car without removing his or her hands from the wheel.
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