Glow-in-the-Dark Highway Paint for Safer Night Driving

Australian road marking company Tarmac Linemarking teamed up with firms OmniGrip and Vic Roads to develop a new glow-in-the-dark highway paint that can be used to mark road lines that will glow after the sun goes down. How long will they glow? I’m not sure, but presumably at least a few hours. Besides, nobody should be driving after 11 PM anyways. What are you, a vampire?

The company has a test road already painted with the fluorescent thermoplastic, where it’s expected to last at least ten years before needing reapplication. That’s not bad. For reference, it would only last one winter where I live before it was all swallowed by potholes.

Is this the future of night driving? Maybe. Or maybe the future of night driving is self-driving cars. Yeah – that can fly. Self-driving flying cars, now that’s the real future of night driving. Or at least the only one I really want to be a part of.

[via Engineering Discoveries]

Finally, Researchers Teach Goldfish How to Drive a Car and Avoid Obstacles

In long-awaited news, Israeli researchers at Ben-Gurion University have successfully taught goldfish how to steer a vehicle in order to reach a target and receive a treat, using a specially designed FOV (fish-operated vehicle). The future, ladies, and gentlemen – we’re finally here.

The FOV is outfitted with a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system that uses lasers to determine the fish’s location inside the tank, and the vehicle’s location on land, with the vehicle moving in the direction in which the fish swims. The researchers say that after just a few days of training, fish were able to consistently navigate the vehicle to the target, regardless of starting point and obstacles such as walls, or the presence of false targets. You know, maybe we haven’t been giving goldfish the intellectual credit they deserve.

Obviously, the goldfish’s real target is the nearest pond, and there’s no doubt in my mind once it finally gets its driver’s license that’s exactly where it’ll be headed. If only it’d been riding shotgun the time I accidentally drove into that pond I could have saved it the trouble of taking an in-car driving test!

[via The Washington Post]

The LED traffic signal gets redesigned with a single screen stoplight for the 21st century!

Makeshift detour notices and ancient traffic lights from the 20th century sometimes make following road rules difficult. Human error and faded signals sometimes send the wrong sign to drivers and pedestrians, resulting in car accidents and injuries. In addition to the traffic light’s archaic design, those who are color blind can have a difficult time distinguishing between red and green, stop and go. Confronting the downfalls of a design from yesteryear, Moscow-based design firm Art. Lebedev Studio developed a traffic light fixture to match today’s modern design and technological capabilities.

Requested by two cities in Russia for testing in a limited capacity, Art. Lebedev Studio’s traffic light condenses the three-tier stoplight into one digital panel that runs a continuous loop of various traffic signals. When it’s time to stop, the entire fixture emanates a red glow and projects an ‘X’ to signal to color-blind drivers that it’s time to stop. Similarly, when it’s okay to drive on, green fills the screen and an arrow indicates full speed ahead. A countdown is also displayed when each traffic signal starts, allowing drivers to countdown when it’ll be time to go and when they’ll have to slow down.

If you’re like me and the first thing you look for at a stop sign is a ‘No Turn on Red,’ posting, this traffic light from Art. Lebedev has got us covered. Nonstandard signals are also programmed into the traffic light, so drivers will know when it’s okay to turn on red among other road rules. Hybrid display panels will color half of the screen red and the other half green, with an ‘X’ indicating stop and an arrow pointing to the right signaling to drivers that right turns on red are allowed.

Bringing the new design to the pedestrian level, Art. Lebedev developed almost a little sister to the taller traffic light. Shorter than the traffic light, the pedestrian’s panel will also feature simple animations that illustrate when pedestrians can walk across busy streets and when they should hang back to wait for traffic to pass. Relying only on a 5G connection for operation, new traffic and detour information can be programmed remotely into traffic lights to keep drivers up to speed on the latest road rules.

Designer: Art. Lebedev Studio

This signal indicates that while it’s not your lane’s turn to go straight, you can turn right.





This signal shows that it’s all systems go.





Pedestrian signs are positioned beneath traffic signals, closer to the sightline of walkers and bikers alike.





This signal displays a countdown, indicating that drivers have 54 seconds before the light turns red.





LED lights radiate a glow on Art. Lebedev Studio’s signals stand out amidst city lights.





Some various signs can be condensed and displayed on Art. Lebedev Studio’s traffic light for the modern era.

Google Assistant’s driving mode for Android is nearly ready, one year later

Google promised an Assistant driving mode for phones would arrive in mid-2019, but that clearly didn’t happen — over a year passed without any sign of it. It appears to be ready, though. XDA-Developers has discovered (via Android Police) that Google...

Alexa’s Auto Mode turns your phone into a ‘driver-friendly’ display

Amazon wants to make it safer and easier to use your phone while you’re in the car. Today, it’s introducing Auto Mode in the Alexa App. The feature turns your phone into a “driver-friendly” display with large touch targets and easy-to-read visuals. A...

Pininfarina co-created high-end simulators to relive the rush of racing in the era of classic cars!

Flashback in time and the nostalgia of classic Formula-1 cars racing down the straights, makes you want to time travel that era. Sure, modern driving simulators are one way to satiate your craving but the overall sensory experience is something that takes a hit. Amongst the sea of new-age simulators that traverse you to the realms of a pure adrenaline rush, the TCCT eClassic driving simulator gives you reason enough to feel the heat of the championship battles.

Designed in close quarters with Zagato and Pininfarina – the two big names in car design – this simulator brings classic vintage car racing to a new dimension. TCCT eClassic Club members can drive precious classic cars for the racing rush by participating in the club’s racing programs and championships. Amateur users can use the support services offered by the racing academy to improve driving skills and then, later on, take on the pros for bragging rights. Using today’s technology to experience the thrill of yesteryears – the TCCT eClassic driving simulator is created by Racing Unleashed. Unlike other racing simulators they’ve been accustomed to creating, this one is draped in classic elements for obvious reasons. The steering wheel has a wooden crown, the gear shifter is a manual transmission and the interior leather upholstery carries that 70s vibe.

To immerse the driver in action, eClassic simulator has active hydraulic pistons for experiencing every sharp turn and bumps on the chicanes. One of the simulators takes the form of the two-seater Cisitalia 202 GT having the flowing aerodynamic design. Combined with the panning 46-inch ViewSonic screens for visual awesomeness, you are in for the ride of your life once the engines start.

It is befitting that the simulator carries a price tag of approximately $7,130 (6,000 euros). Though you can only get a seat aboard one in 2021 when it is slated to be available!

Designers: TCCT with Pinnafarina and Zagato.

Google Maps is improving travel ETAs with DeepMind AI

Google Maps helps users navigate over one billion kilometers in more than 200 countries and territories daily, and Google says its estimated time of arrival (ETA) predictions have been consistently accurate for over 97 percent of trips. That’s not go...

Amazon’s Echo Auto comes to the UK, Canada and parts of Europe

Amazon launched Echo Auto in the US back in 2018, designed to bring Alexa voice commands to vehicles where they wouldn’t normally be an option. Now, finally, it’s arrived in the UK and Canada, as well as Germany, Italy and Spain (it was previously al...