1. Electronic Sun Visor
Sun visors never quite hit the mark if you travel east in the morning and west
in the evening. We've even taped pieces of opaque paper to the bottom of the
visor in an attempt to block the sun. A corporate research project at
Volkswagen is developing an electronic anti-glare system using an electronic
matrix within the glass controlled by a computer to block the rays.
A sun status sensor and a sensor that determines the eye position of the driver
both feed signals to the computer, which calculates the point of sunlight entry
within the viewing angle of the driver's eyes. The computer then produces a
dark "spot" in the glass electronic matrix to block sunlight at that
location (similar to the automatic darkening of rear-view mirrors). The spot moves
across the windshield as the car changes direction. Right now, the technology
doesn't allow for use on all glass, but it would be a huge improvement over the
archaic sun visor if and when it's implemented.
2. Family Tech
"Are we there yet?" It's a question every father hears at least 600
times every hour on a family road trip. In the past, dad would roll his eyes
and say, "Not yet, sweetie." Soon, the kids may be able to answer
their own question. VW's child navigation system is essentially a rear DVD screen
with a simplified representation of the route, plus special descriptions of
scenes along the route. A "time worm" on the screen "eats"
away at the length of the route, so the children can see it decreasing. A
cartoon character on screen plays games and asks the children to do in-seat
exercises and even goes to sleep when the kiddies are napping.
Got kids that still need the child's seat? VW showed a special power seat that
mounts to the second row. The system is controlled by the driver, who can raise
the seat so a child can see through the windshield--or fold it back flat for
naptime. Plus, the seat can swivel out, making it easier for any parent to lift
the child in and out of the vehicle. Cool.
3. Traffic Decongestion
The freeway you drive everyday suddenly slims down one lane because of an
accident--how frustrating. The cars in that blocked lane have to move over. So
they inevitably cause a slowdown in traffic in all the other lanes. But is that
slowdown really inevitable?
The German government is sponsoring an auto industry initiative called
"ACTIV," intended to spur use of technology for traffic management
and lead eventually to automatic guidance. As one of its contributions,
Volkswagen's engineers produced a study that shows how to free up traffic
snarls by having cars speed up at exactly the right time. It's basically what
you've always wished drivers would do: speed up and let the other drivers in.
Here's how it would work: Instead of letting all cars slow down in the traffic
flow, a car in the lane adjacent to the closed lane would be instructed to
speed up just before reaching the snarl. That would create a space behind it
for a car in the blocked lane--without coming to a near stop and trying to edge
in at the last minute. A traffic management system, tricked out with cameras
and computers to record and analyze the road, would provide instructions on
when to stop and go.
A more effective system would assume semi-autonomous control of the vehicles
approaching the bottleneck. This could be used with an advanced version of
adaptive cruise control and interactive communication to a local traffic
management system. The reality, of course, is that without fully automated
highways, there's not much that can be done about a rubberneck at the site of
an accident.
4. Hands-off Doze Control
Drowsy driving is a major cause of accidents around the world. Soon,
sophisticated camera systems will be able to read highway markings and sound a
gentle warning to alert the driver if the vehicle is drifting. But even more
aggressive intervention is in development, and Volkswagen showed us a car that
was able to correct its own path in such a scenario.
At the Volkswagen proving grounds in Germany, we tested the system at moderate
highway speeds. We didn't exactly fold both arms into our lap and forget about
driving--it is rather tough to trust a computer with your life--but it did work
quite well. Here's how: Thanks to electric power steering, a computer can
control the steering gear motor signaled by a camera system and another computer
judging the situation. If the camera and sensors detect drifting outside normal
driving parameters, it takes control. Although the VW system is aggressive, it
can be overridden. For example, activating a turn signal or dialing in extra
steering effort will disable the system.
Because of a lack of public acceptance, cars equipped with electronic steering
have seen very limited computer intervention. It's usually just enough
assistance to improve handling. Cars that take complete control away from the driver
better be flawless. One of the most pressing issues is how to determine when
the driver is losing attention or intentionally trying to switch lanes. So the
first applications of this technology are likely to be paired with adaptive
cruise control.
The car we drove actually used sensors to monitor a driver's heartbeat to
determine if we were awake and alert or sleepy and dozing. As software
engineers better learn such human performance, they can use all sorts of
signals to activate or disable the system--body temperature, movement in the
seat hands on the steering wheel, even eye movements. At this point the
hardware is there, but we're just waiting for the right computer programs.
5. Cleaner Fuel
VW and the rest of the German auto industry are taking a hard look at synthetic
fuel, made by solid-to-liquid or gas-to-liquid processes. Most of these
methods, including improved versions of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis invented
in the 1920s, use catalysts (usually iron or cobalt) to convert solids like
coal and agricultural waste or natural gas into liquid fuel. Also under
development is ethanol produced from cellulose (straw, wood and various waste
materials), rather than from corn or beets, which affect food supply.
Biomass fuels, called "SunFuels" because of their renewable origin,
are made by the same basic processes as other synthetic fuels. Synthetic fuel
can be designed for the precise combustion characteristics needed for certain
advanced engine technologies.
And what about hydrogen? Volkswagen is not
particularly optimistic. The company has been developing a high-temperature
fuel cell (so it needs far less cooling to continue working), but even VW
engineers see fuel cells as 20 years away or more.
And as a VW engineer said, if lithium-ion or another battery technology can
achieve an energy density to propel a car 200 kilometers (120 mi.) per 100 kg
weight (220 pounds), "the fuel cell is surpassed." At this point,
lithium-ion is at just 7 km (4.2 mi.) per 100 kg, and the ones in development
will reach 21 km (12.2 mi.) per 100 kg soon. The research is apparently
underway for 70 km (42 miles) per 100 kg performance in these batteries.
6. Future Power plants
The near-term steps are to use fossil fuels more efficiently in piston engines
such as Volkswagen's Blue Motion TDI and 1.4-liter turbo spark ignition engine.
Adjunct to these, according to VW research chief Jurgen Leohold, are gasoline engines with
start-stop capability, traditional hybrids and the "range extender."
That's a plug-in hybrid with a tiny gasoline engine to recharge the batteries
for distances greater than plug-ins alone can provide--similar to the Chevrolet
Volt concept.
All vehicle manufacturers are developing Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition
(HCCI) engines that use spark ignition for heavy load operation but in light
load can ignite a lean mixture throughout a cylinder without a spark. The
"homogenous charge" is a uniform mix of air, fuel and up to 70
percent of the already-burned exhaust gas. Compression stroke brings the
mixture to a controlled self-ignition state -- no need for a spark. Because of
the uniform mix in the cylinder, there's no hot flame front, and the mixture
burns almost instantaneously and completely throughout the cylinder. So there
aren't any "hot spots" to produce engine knocking. The engine
requires spark plugs for starting and heavy loads, but in HCCI mode, it
improves fuel economy about 10 to15 percent--close to a diesel. It does require
a "designer" gasoline, perhaps a synthetic gasoline.
VW has gone further, using a designer gasoline in a combination mode diesel
engine with what it calls Combined Combustion System (CCS). Unlike diesel
injection, which occurs when the piston is at top dead center on compression
stroke, the CCS begins fuel injection as the piston is still rising on
compression stroke, well before top dead center. This early injection promotes
good air-fuel mixing with a lot of recirculated exhaust gas. The exhaust helps
delay combustion until just after top dead center. The result is about 5
percent better fuel economy than a diesel. Just as important, the
fuel-air-exhaust mixture burns at lower temperatures, so there's less formation
of oxides of nitrogen (NOx)--a major air pollutant that diesels require
expensive after-treatment to reduce. In the CCS engine, the "designer
gasoline" is a synthetic fuel, and a test car we drove at VW's proving
grounds used SunFuel made entirely from biomass.
VW - volkswagen
Information taken from - http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/4219496
