Meanwhile in Spain: driverless robotic cars on the roads

The demonstration of the capabilities was carried out as part of a project known as Sartre (SARTRE) and in Hebrew - safe road trains for the environment

If we had been driving on the roads of Spain in the last month, we might have come across a strange sight: four vehicles driving one after the other, at regular intervals as if measured by a ruler. When one of the vehicles slowed down, the others also slowed down, in perfect coordination with each other. When the first car overtook another car, all the other three would follow and make the exact same overtaking. And the most surprising thing is that the cars held human passengers - but they did not touch the steering wheel at all. They were busy with more substantial activities, such as reading a newspaper, drinking coffee and watching a video.

These four vehicles created the first robotic road train, which will change the world.

The demonstration of the capabilities was carried out as part of a project known as Sartre (SARTRE) and in Hebrew - safe road trains for the environment. The project aims to deal with the fact that cars themselves tend to emit large amounts of polluting gases on the roads. The reason for this, among others, is the high fuel consumption, and the long time the vehicles spend on the road. The so-called 'road train' solution can deal with both of these problems.

Anyone who has compared the fuel consumption of their vehicle in the city, and the fuel consumption on the highway, knows that driving in the city is much more wasteful. The multiple stops at traffic lights, crosswalks and traffic jams cause a lot of fuel wastage, and a longer stay on the road. A similar phenomenon also exists in the notorious traffic jams at the entrance to Tel Aviv. An average driver who takes his car from Haifa to Tel Aviv can be sure that in the morning he will spend between half an hour and an hour on the road, driving at a speed of ten km/h, pressing the brakes often and cursing even more often.

The traffic jams are, therefore, more than a mental nuisance. They consume fuel and time - resources both of which can also be measured in money. What if we could avoid traffic jams altogether? This idea is tempting, but probably impossible as long as we leave the wheel in the hands of human drivers. Some of us want to 'steal' some speed beyond the limit, or on the contrary - are afraid to accelerate too much. Others hit the brakes for no reason from time to time, while the crazies overtake them from the left, the right and the curbs. It is a chaotic environment - full of chaos - and it is no wonder that when drivers with different driving patterns bump into each other on the road, mass traffic jams form.

The road train is designed to prevent a large part of these traffic jams, and also provide drivers with some peace and quiet on the road. The train is not really made of one piece, like trains on the tracks, but of a series of robotic cars that follow each other and coordinate with each other through the use of wireless cameras, radar and laser sensors. They do not drive by themselves, but follow the first car in the line. And who drives the first machine? This right is reserved for a skilled human driver, who leads the entire road train. At his will, the column will speed up. At his will, slow down.

The ability of the cars on the road train to react to each other quickly, gives them the ability to almost stick to each other. In the not-too-distant future, it is expected that the cars will be able to drive with minimal gaps of a meter or two between them, but while maintaining a high speed of more than a hundred km/h. This form of driving will ensure that the road can hold a much larger number of vehicles than is currently possible, thus adding another way to reduce traffic jams.

Besides the road train's ability to reduce traffic jams, it also adds to the safety level of the drivers. Many drivers will drink coffee and skim a newspaper while driving, putting their lives and the lives of others on the road at risk. The road train will allow them to do so without fear.

Will the road trains become the main way of traveling on the roads in the coming years? There is probably still some time before the technology comes into common use, if only due to its level of complexity, and the need to provide energy for all the sensors and the various means of communication that the vehicles are equipped with. However, the potential of the road train to improve safety and human efficiency cannot be ignored. How will the insurance companies treat the development and can it lead to a discount in the comprehensive insurance?

Last but not least, the road train actually lengthens the day for many people. It will free up extra time for the drivers during which they can complete the extra hour of sleep that is so important for daily functioning, talk to the child during the automatic ride to school, or spend an extra hour working on a project on the way back home. The technology will add to some people, in practice, two hours a day in which they can work just as if they were at home. This is another way in which technology can significantly and literally improve our lives.

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