IF HE WAS CANCER-FREE AFTER
TREATMENT.
NEW TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING
OUR CARS SMARTER.
THAT'S WHY DENVER IS TESTING
OUT A NEW PROGRAM MEANT TO
IMPROVE YOUR DRIVE.
JOE GOT A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT THE
TECHNOLOGY AND JOINS US NOW TO
TALK MORE ABOUT IT.
SO JOEL, HOW DOES IT WORK?
Reporter: IT USES
SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT LIKE WE
SERE AT THE INTERSECTION OF
COLFAX.
YOU SEE IT UP THERE, IT HAS THE
ANTENNAS.
WHAT IT DOES IS COLLECTS DATA
FROM ENABLED CARS AND SENDS IT
BACK TO DENVER PUBLIC WORKS.
ONCE IT GETS BACK THERE, THEY
CAN USE THAT DATA TO
DRASTICALLY CHANGE YOUR
COMMUTE.
WHERE ALL THIS IS HEADING
IS THIS TRAFFIC INTERSECTION
WOULD KNOW THERE ARE 20 CARS
COMING FROM THIS DIRECTION.
15 CARS FROM THAT DIRECTION.
THERE'S AN AMBULANCE THREE
MINUTES AWAY AND A PEDESTRIAN
WHO NEEDS TEN MORE SECONDS TO
CROSS.
IT WOULD LOAD BALANCE ALL OF
THAT.
MATTHEW HAS BEEN WORKING
WITH THE CITY OF DENVER TO MAKE
OUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
SMARTER.
WHAT WE ARE DOING IS
TURNING ON EVERY SINGLE SWITCH
AND MAKING SURE WE ARE GETTING
THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DATA
FLOWING.
SEEING EVERY SCENARIO PLAY OUT.
A FEDERAL GRANT IS HELPING
EQUIP CITY VEHICLES WITH
DEVICES THAT WILL TURN ON A
FLOW OF DATA FROM THE VEHICLE.
ESTABLISHING THAT TWO-WAY
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE
PERSON, US, AND THE
INFRASTRUCTURE, THE SIGNAL.
MICHAEL IS AN ENGINEER WITH
DENVER PUBLIC WORKS.
HE SAYS THIS TECHNOLOGY COULD
HELP THEM MAKE OUR COMMUTE
SMOOTHER.
ANYTHING FROM A BRIDGE
FREEZING OVER TO AN ACCIDENT
TAKING PLACE.
WE'LL KNOW INSTANTLY.
WE CAN SEND THAT MESSAGE OUT.
THIS INCLUDES SNOWPLOWS.
I'M COMING THROUGH, THE
PLOW IS DOWN, AND THE LIGHT
WILL BE ABLE TO SAY, OKAY, I'M
GOING TO GIVE YOU A GREEN
LIGHT.
FOR AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE, I'M
GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
EMERGENCY VEHICLE CAN CLEAR
THROUGH THE INTERSECTION
SAFELY.
PRETTY COOL TECHNOLOGY.
JIM AND KAREN, WE'VE ALL BEEN
THERE.
IT'S 11:00 AT NIGHT.
WE PULL UP TO A RED LIGHT AND
STOP FOR ABSOLUTELY NO ONE.
IF OUR CAR HAS THIS TECHNOLOGY
IN IT, IT WILL BE ABLE TO
ANNOUNCE TO THE INTERSECTION,
WE'RE COMING BEFORE WE EVEN GET
THERE AND THE LIGHT WILL STAY
GREEN.
WHAT A DAY WE LIVE IN.
LIVE IN DENVER, JOEL COVERING
COLORADO FIRST.
