Over the past few years, cars have become smarter and smarter. Some of them can even drive themselves. Now, our roads have followed the steps. In the United Kingdom alone, there are around650 kilometers of" smart roads" in use. Across the world, many more are being built. Some new technologies are being put to use.
▲ Roads that recharge(给……充电)
Global warming has forced us to search for new energy sources. Why not look to the roads? Piezoelectric roads, a new kind of smart road, use vibrations(震动) from passing cars to produce electricity. In fact, Piezoelectricity was invented in
1880. However, it has never been widely used before now. The U. K.'s Lancaster University is going to improve it.
▲ Built- in brain
Roads of the future may be able to know how many people are on them, send drivers updates(最新的情况) on weather and traffic jams, and recharge electric cars while driving.
This seems impossible, but one American company has almost made it come true. By sensing the weight of a car, the smart roads can track the speed of each wheel. The smart roads are like large touchpads(触摸屏) so that they can collect data(数据) by looking for wheels. And then the roads will send it to the drivers.
▲ Roads that never freeze
It can be dangerous to drive in snowy weather. A tech company in Israel has developed the Snowless roads. When they find snow or ice on their surfaces, the roads will heat themselves up, melting(使融化) them away. The company has succeeded in testing this project on a few Canadian roads and in some of its car parks.
Smart Roads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Types | Roads that recharge | Built- in brain | Roads that never freeze | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Features | The roads use vibrations from passing cars to . | The data collected by smart roads is from . | The roads will melt away and never freeze. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Development | Nowadays, smart roads with new technologies are in some countries. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Your opinion | Is it possible that" smart roads" would be widely used in China? Why or why not? |