Oct. 25, 2012 at 1:31 PM ET
Road trips in the not-too-distant future will take on a psychedelic hue with glow-in-dark lane markers that eliminate the need for overhead lighting and dynamic paint that brightens when the temperature drops below freezing and icy conditions prevail.
The glow-in-the-dark roads are treated with a special “foto-luminising powder” that is charged up during the day and illuminates the contours of the road and lane markers at night for up to 10 hours, according to Dutch designer and innovator Daan Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure.
Dynamic paint responds to changes in temperature. A pattern of snowflakes, for example, appears when it is cold and slippery. The concept should help drivers take note of changing weather conditions as they head over a mountain pass.
The glow-in-the-dark road and dynamic paint concepts will be realized next year in the Netherlands. Other innovations to debut in the coming years include an induction priority lane that will charge electric cars as they drive, presumably via induction coils that are powered by wind.
Now, put robot in charge of the driving and the future will be now.
– via Treehugger
John Roach is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.
