WiFi is coming to the fast lane as European automakers like DaimlerChrysler make progress on in-car networking systems designed to make driving safer. DaimlerChrysler has just announced the successful field testing of the WILLWARN research project, which turns vehicles into WLAN routers. Cars equipped with the system can relay information about temperature, road conditions, fog, or road obstructions to vehicles within 500m, warning other drivers about problems so that they can take corrective action.

The WILLWARN project uses existing vehicle sensors such as the anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, thermometer, or navigation system to detect black ice and road problems, and it can integrate with in-car radar and collision systems to report the location of road obstacles or disabled vehicles. The system is part of the PReVENT initiative, a European project designed to reduce automotive fatalities.

The WLAN radios in the vehicles function much like normal WiFi routers, creating an ad-hoc mesh network with the other cars in the vicinity. Road information is propagated through the mesh so that vehicles well out of radio range can be alerted to problems on the road ahead. The system is designed to work with the Car2Car Communication Consortium, which communicates with other vehicles over a 5.9GHz connection.

The WLAN system is designed to be cheap, but it's not going to do much until lots of other cars come with compatible systems installed. DaimlerChrysler, one of the big backers of the new technology, suggests that "radio beacons at the side of the road" be installed so that early adopters have some incentive to use the technology. These beacons would apparently transmit weather and traffic information to cars driving past. In the future, when such technology is common, engineers have visions of expanding it to integrate it with GPS and mapping systems to help route cars away from gridlock.

European carmakers have been working on innovative electronic systems for years, most designed to increase safety, like DaimlerChrysler's 24GHz short-range radar for collision detection. Siemens, which supplies parts to the industry, has also been hard at work on a system that can identify speed limit signs and alert drivers when they are going too fast.

The new technology sounds great, but special attention has to be paid to the interface. When I imagine some of my elderly relatives attempting to pay attention to the road while their car tells them the speed limit and flashes black ice warnings, I shudder. Fortunately, carmakers are also hard at work on the human-machine interface for these new devices, and the fact that they recognize the interface as a potential problem point is encouraging.