(UFRS)

DRIVEN BY CARS

         It's 2050 and one American passion has withstood the test of time: we like to drive. You decide to hit the road. First, you unplug your car from your house. That's right - your car's fuel cells (those hydrogen-powered devices) turn out enough electricy for your home and your car.

         You settle into the driver's seat and grasp the joystick (steering wheels and pedals are history). All movements of the car - accelerating, turning, braking - are controlled by a joystick familiar to anyone brought up on computer games. You drive in traffic with absolute confidence. Your car is programmed with radar to sense a crash before it happens and activate the brakers.

        

         An alarm sounds. The sensor in the instrument panel has checked the pupils of your eyes and decided you are getting sleepy. You pull over into the "sleep lane". You lay a route on your satellite-guided navigation system, switch the autopilot on and climb into the back seat for a sleep. The car, reading computer chips in the road, takes over the driving.

         This is not science fiction. Automakers are spending billions researching all these futuristic features. General Motors has tried out an "intelligent highway" in California that allows cars to drive on autopilot. Daimler Chrysler fits prototype cars with joystick and many drivers operate them better than steering wheels. Every carmaker is rushing to replace the internal combustion engine with fuel cells. Satellite navigation systems are already on the road. Soon your car will be driving you.

APOSTILA DO CURSO OBJETIVO - VESTIBULARES - 2012.