Highways, despite their built-in sense of movement, are usually conceived of as static objects. But the Smart Highways research project by design firm Studio Roosegaarde (for the Dutch construction company Heijmans Infrastructure) has come up with five speculative plans to use technology to enhance the dynamic experience of highway systems in what the studio’s head Daan Roosegaarde describes as “techno-poetry.”
Who hasn’t driven down a deserted highway late at night and thought: “why are all these lights constantly on?” Several of Roosegaarde’s proposals for Smart Highways, such as glowing lines, interactive lights, and wind lights address this unnecessary energy expenditure. Harnessing energy from the surrounding natural environment, the designs propose not only energy saving measures, but also enhancing the driver experience as well as ideas to free the landscape from visual clutter.
Perhaps the most visionary, difficult, yet promising proposal of Roosegaarde’s is the induction priority lane.
One of the biggest challenges to the widespread use of electric cars is their charging capacity. Instead of resolving the problem within the vehicle, this proposal would incorporate induction coils under the asphalt to recharge electric cars as they drive, thus creating a collaboration between the car and the road.
One aspect that these proposals overlook however is human interaction. Roosegaarde’s speculations understandably focus on the roadway itself, but the opportunity to rethink pit stops is ignored. Furthermore, advancements in GPS and car technology point toward a future in which cars require no driver, thus allowing passengers more freedom to interact than ever before. If a car could drive itself, one might question the necessity of Roosegaarde’s idea for features such as dynamic paint that indicates road conditions for drivers – or the need for roadway signage of at all. p
(Jason Hilgefort)
PRODUCT GROUP
MANUFACTURER
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