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Peter Cochrane's Hard Drive 1999 Computers on wheels, roll on I RECENTLY had the pleasure of flying in a military helicopter, and soon after that, a similar commercial machine. While the military version was impressive in its obvious power, utility, crudity and noise, the commercial machine was incredibly quiet, and unnervingly similar to my car in its smoothness of operation. How come? Internally, the fittings and instrumentation were on a par, and by virtue of active noise suppression, it was so quiet. Mechatronics - a subtle blend of sensors, electronic control, feedback and precision mechanical engineering - negated most of the vibration from the engine and rotors. In the passenger space, noise cancellation using distributed microphones and loudspeakers, again with electronic control, paralleled my car on a noisy road. The technology was immediately impressive, relatively easy to understand, and potentially very low-cost. My car is a wonder of modern engineering science with an overall performance and finish better than any machine I have owned before. It is quiet, powerful, quick to respond to my every demand, and full of wonderful toys. Everything - the hi-fi, environmental control, navigation aids, cruise control, instrumentation - is a joy to use. Even the ashtray has been engineered with such delicacy that it feels like silk when it slides open. This is a very long way from my first car, purchased in the 1960s, which by comparison, was incredibly crude. At that time heaters and radios - no tapes or CDs - were very expensive optional extras. Car radios were big and crude with noisy vibrator-based power supplies, and needed time to warm up because they employed thermionic tubes. Environmental control was equally crude, with hot air blown in from the engine compartment, or cool air directed in through an open quarter-light window. The only navigation aid was a paper map and compass that you had to supply. In my view, modern vehicles are incredibly impressive. At the top end they have everything from air conditioning and GPS to active suspension and driver position memory in seats and mirrors. So what big advance might we see next? Well, apart from a chauffeur, my list includes: voice-controlled everything; automatic hi-fi and telephone volume adjusted according to the noise level, and of course, Web searches, email and all my other office functions by voice and eye. At the very least I need a head-up display so I can see through fog and continue to work as I drive or - more likely - sit in a traffic jam. Beyond all that, a 100Gbyte hard drive in the boot to store all my audio, video and work files, with handy up and down loading to my office and home would be a real boon. I suspect we may soon see more multimedia in-car than in-home and office. In such a small space there may be no other option. I come from a generation that can remember cars without starter motors, when we had to use hand cranks and risk a broken thumb every morning. What we drive today is incredible by comparison because the price has remained constant in real terms while the facilities have improved exponentially. In the next phase I suspect the improvements will be even more dramatic - if only we could get a radical change in the propulsion system and persuade governments to provide adequate roads. Peter Cochrane holds the Collier Chair for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at the University of Bristol. His home page is: |
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