Cars That Talk to Each Other

The languages of cars differ from one another; for instance, a Toyota does not understand the language of a Chevrolet, nor does a Fiat comprehend that of a Volkswagen. These words may seem meaningless today, but engineers are working on a way for cars to communicate with each other (establish connections), and currently, the biggest challenge is translating the different languages for cars of various brands. But what is the purpose of this language? Imagine you are backing out of a parking space without looking in your mirror, unaware of an imminent danger. At the same time, another car is speeding down the adjacent lane. Now, suppose your car could receive messages from that vehicle and alert you to the danger or, even more importantly, stop the car. If such a language becomes common among vehicles, it could potentially prevent thousands of accidents annually. Various universities around the world, including the University of Michigan and its transportation department, are working on vehicle communication systems, focusing on speed, position, direction of movement, and transferring information from one vehicle to nearby ones via radio waves. In addition to these universities, nine automotive companies, including General Motors, are collaborating on a plan for communication between vehicles of different brands. John Capp, the head of vehicle communication technology at General Motors, told Al Jazeera English that they are looking for a way to enable communication between vehicles like Ford, Toyota, and Hyundai using specific messages and codes. To facilitate this, vehicles are being equipped with various sensors and radars to accurately scan their surroundings and transmit the scanned information to the nearest vehicles. Despite these advancements, several companies worldwide have begun working on vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities. General Motors is currently testing a concept vehicle that embodies the idea of a driverless car. However, GM is not alone in this endeavor; Nissan has also developed a new vehicle that can operate without a driver. This car scans up to 200 meters ahead with radar and uses various laser sensors to monitor its surroundings. Additionally, a rear radar scans the road up to 70 meters behind the vehicle. This car can scan street lines and traffic signs and respond to traffic light commands. In a test at 60 kilometers per hour, a doll representing a pedestrian is suddenly thrown in front of the car, and the vehicle makes a sudden steering maneuver to avoid colliding with the pedestrian. This car can easily park in the most difficult parking spots. These technologies are not yet widespread, but some of them are already being used in luxury vehicles; for example, BMW has implemented an automatic parking system in its new 7 Series model. The next step in using such vehicles is to incorporate artificial intelligence into driverless cars, an idea that could effectively turn a car into a vehicle driven by a smart and professional chauffeur. However, this appealing idea may also pose risks, such as the potential uprising of smart cars against humans. Another danger is that if cars become capable enough, hacking them could become problematic. Imagine if this vehicle were suddenly hacked by a hacker and thrown off a cliff, for example. This incident, while not as severe, did occur in a milder form some time ago. In July 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fined Fiat Chrysler $105 million because its vehicles were hackable. About 1.4 million Jeep vehicles had software that was easily hackable. Ultimately, Jeep had to recall these vehicles to update the software so that hackers could no longer exploit it. The issue began when two hackers managed to hack a Jeep so that the air conditioning operated at maximum capacity without the driver's consent. The car's sound system also played the hackers' chosen music at maximum volume. The situation became even more dangerous when these two engineers were able to take control of the car's engine and penetrate the vehicle's computer. This Jeep model had a parking assist system, and by infiltrating this system, the hackers were able to drive the car remotely. In this context, Google's driverless car is still in the testing phase, and the automotive industry is witnessing advancements in electric vehicles, with Apple's electric car set to hit the market in 2019. Progress is being made in creating more efficient batteries for electric vehicles, and questions arise about the fuel of future cars.