Found this rather neat article on The Register, infact, it was something I was discussing with a bunch of friends at college last week! Nice to know we are being heard.
Car makers BMW, Audi, Daimler Chrysler, Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat have won a German government grant to help develop the basis for a standard method for car-to-car wireless data.
NOW is focusing on 802.11 technology and IPv6 to develop "inter-vehicle communication based on ad hoc networking principles". Essentially, it's exploring ways that moving vehicles can automatically set up temporary links with other cars, bikes and trucks in the vicinity, and share traffic information.
With routing capabilities, the whole thing could become a huge 'automobile Internet', with vehicles warning each other - and their drivers - about slow-downs, bad weather, accidents and other road problems.
On a personal note, I really can't even begin to imagine the possibilities here, a road traffic innovation, chat/P2P/file sharing heaven on the roads, or a big headache for the RIAA/MPAA/BSA? It could definitely be all of the above! One thing is for sure, you'll never get bored in traffic anymore.
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