What improvements would you make?
Discussion
If you could design any feature into all cars - what would it be. Not looking for hover cars or anything like that - but small, practical changes that could make a car safer, easier to use etc. Some of these features may be things you have seen on existing cars and which you think are a good idea. Others may be new ideas.
A few of mine:
1. Hazard lights. I would make them double flash instead of flashing the same rate as a turn signal. My reasoning. On a few occasions I have seen a car with hazard lights at the side of the road with another car parked behind. Due to the fact that the car behind is blocking visibility of the left indicator light - you can't actually tell whether the car in front has hazards on or whether they are indicating to pull back out into traffic. Adding a double flash would make it obvious it was hazards and not a turn signal.
2. Brake force indicating brake lights. A brake light bar that illuminates from the ends towards the middle as braking force increases. Would help you judge whether the brake lights that just came on in front of you were a gentle tap or dropping the anchors. I guess it could work on a similar principle to the animated turn signals that have started appearing on Audi's etc.
3. Blacklight headlights. Beam could be set higher to cast farther, but it wouldn't dazzle like white light does. It would however make anything day-glo, white or anything washed in washing powder with optical brightners glow, making pedestrians far more visible and if the correct paint is used - road markings and signs too.
A few of mine:
1. Hazard lights. I would make them double flash instead of flashing the same rate as a turn signal. My reasoning. On a few occasions I have seen a car with hazard lights at the side of the road with another car parked behind. Due to the fact that the car behind is blocking visibility of the left indicator light - you can't actually tell whether the car in front has hazards on or whether they are indicating to pull back out into traffic. Adding a double flash would make it obvious it was hazards and not a turn signal.
2. Brake force indicating brake lights. A brake light bar that illuminates from the ends towards the middle as braking force increases. Would help you judge whether the brake lights that just came on in front of you were a gentle tap or dropping the anchors. I guess it could work on a similar principle to the animated turn signals that have started appearing on Audi's etc.
3. Blacklight headlights. Beam could be set higher to cast farther, but it wouldn't dazzle like white light does. It would however make anything day-glo, white or anything washed in washing powder with optical brightners glow, making pedestrians far more visible and if the correct paint is used - road markings and signs too.
woollyjoe said:
not to mention many modern cars have a camera top of windscreen behind rear view mirror for lane assist etc. Sounds perfect for a dashcam!
Yep - our Volvo has that. All you'd need is a small solid state drive, a button on the steering wheel for tagging incidents and a USB port for transferring saved footage off. Should be a trival matter for car makers.
je777 said:
Moonhawk said:
If you could design any feature into all cars - what would it be. Not looking for hover cars or anything like that - but small, practical changes that could make a car safer, easier to use etc. Some of these features may be things you have seen on existing cars and which you think are a good idea. Others may be new ideas.
A few of mine:
1. Hazard lights. I would make them double flash instead of flashing the same rate as a turn signal. My reasoning. On a few occasions I have seen a car with hazard lights at the side of the road with another car parked behind. Due to the fact that the car behind is blocking visibility of the left indicator light - you can't actually tell whether the car in front has hazards on or whether they are indicating to pull back out into traffic. Adding a double flash would make it obvious it was hazards and not a turn signal.
2. Brake force indicating brake lights. A brake light bar that illuminates from the ends towards the middle as braking force increases. Would help you judge whether the brake lights that just came on in front of you were a gentle tap or dropping the anchors. I guess it could work on a similar principle to the animated turn signals that have started appearing on Audi's etc.
3. Blacklight headlights. Beam could be set higher to cast farther, but it wouldn't dazzle like white light does. It would however make anything day-glo, white or anything washed in washing powder with optical brightners glow, making pedestrians far more visible and if the correct paint is used - road markings and signs too.
I really like no. 1, but especially no. 3. If that's possible (I've no idea) that's one of those ideas where you think 'Why would we NOT be doing that?'A few of mine:
1. Hazard lights. I would make them double flash instead of flashing the same rate as a turn signal. My reasoning. On a few occasions I have seen a car with hazard lights at the side of the road with another car parked behind. Due to the fact that the car behind is blocking visibility of the left indicator light - you can't actually tell whether the car in front has hazards on or whether they are indicating to pull back out into traffic. Adding a double flash would make it obvious it was hazards and not a turn signal.
2. Brake force indicating brake lights. A brake light bar that illuminates from the ends towards the middle as braking force increases. Would help you judge whether the brake lights that just came on in front of you were a gentle tap or dropping the anchors. I guess it could work on a similar principle to the animated turn signals that have started appearing on Audi's etc.
3. Blacklight headlights. Beam could be set higher to cast farther, but it wouldn't dazzle like white light does. It would however make anything day-glo, white or anything washed in washing powder with optical brightners glow, making pedestrians far more visible and if the correct paint is used - road markings and signs too.
This video demonstrates the effect I'm talking about (hunting scorpions in the dark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISpqqkm-EZc
If we ever implemented glow in the dark road markings like those trialled in the Netherlands recently - blacklight headlights would also have the advantage of providing a recharge boost to them every time a car passes.
Edited by Moonhawk on Thursday 13th October 14:52
Evanivitch said:
VeeFource said:
They'd have to be quite powerful blacklights and they emit UV which is damaging to the human eye. The eye doesn't respond to just UV so the pupil remains dilated in the dark which allows a lot of damaging UV in unlike in sunlight where there's enough of the visible spectrum cause the pupil to constrict and reduce all light levels including UV.
This. There's no blink reflex to UV. Imagine the discomfort of driving at night with everyone using their high beams. You'd probably glance away or attempt to reduce the effect. Pedestrians are another matter - but since these lights would be supplementary, a pedestrian looking at an oncoming car would have a pupilary response anyway due to the white light headlights. Also - pedestrians tend not to face oncoming to the same degree that drivers of other vehicles do - so would be exposed far less. To minimise exposure - they could also be deactivated when running normal high beams or when the ambient light is high enough (e.g. when there are streetlights).
I wonder how powerful they would actually have to be. They would only need to induce a small amount of fluorescence to have a dramatic impact on the visibility of a pedestrian. I doubt they would have to be as bright as standard headlights. I have just ordered a 500 lumen (3 watt) UV LED torch to have a play with and experiment - i'll post some pictures if it works.
Did some experiments with the blacklight torch I bought.
Quoted as being 3W / 500 lumen LED - but it has three brightness settings so I assume 3W / 500 Lumen is the maximum. This test was conducted with the torch at it's lowest setting.
1x fluorescent sock on the fence ~40ft away. The only light was the ambient sky glow and the living room lights spilling through the french doors. 1 second exposure at F/4 and ISO 3200. With slightly dark adapted eyes - the first shot approximates what I could see with my eyes - the sock is just visible.
Second shot is with the blacklight torch turned on.
The difference in visibility was quite dramatic and I reckon you could go much dimmer and it still make quite a difference.
Quoted as being 3W / 500 lumen LED - but it has three brightness settings so I assume 3W / 500 Lumen is the maximum. This test was conducted with the torch at it's lowest setting.
1x fluorescent sock on the fence ~40ft away. The only light was the ambient sky glow and the living room lights spilling through the french doors. 1 second exposure at F/4 and ISO 3200. With slightly dark adapted eyes - the first shot approximates what I could see with my eyes - the sock is just visible.
Second shot is with the blacklight torch turned on.
The difference in visibility was quite dramatic and I reckon you could go much dimmer and it still make quite a difference.
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