If you find yourself on a highway in the Netherlands next year in the middle of the night, don't be surprised if you start noticing a glow coming from the road. A glow-in-the-dark smart-road design will be put in place in the country by mid-2013.
This isn't a publicity stunt or just something to up the Netherlands' cool factor, it's a step in a new direction for highway transportation. The design team at Studio Roosegaarde created a photo luminescent powder to use for road markings. The markings gather energy throughout the day from the sun, enough for 10 hours of light once night falls.
According to the design photos, the paint would be used on all road markings, from lane indicators to emergency shoulders.The paint will also be used to let drivers know when roads might be slippery. When the temperature falls to a certain point, glow-in-the-dark snowflakes will appear to alert the driver.
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Designer Daan Roosegaarde got the idea for the paint after noticing that when it comes to transportation, we've improved everything except our roads. He wanted to create a way for roads to catch up to the technologically enhanced vehicles that drive on them. He's already got interest from India, and hopes to bring the design to the United States.
via arstechnica