Self-Driving Cars May Get Their Own “Hyperlane” In The Future

The competition was hosted by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers in Las Vegas. Barrs and Chen came up with an idea to construct a "Hyperlane" or a single platform the size of four interstate lanes that would run parallel to pre-existing highways for self-driving cars to travel at high speeds with no chance of getting into a jam.

In an interview with Fortune, Barrs said, "We were inspired by high-speed rail in Japan. We realized we couldn't exactly do that in America, so we started to deconstruct the high-speed rail experience, and that's when we realized we could remove the tracks and deploy new, emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles."

That notion was expressed in the pair's final product. Not only do automobiles on the Hyperlane move quickly, but also the plan calls for various tolled stations where self-driving cars, courier trucks, and buses can get on or get off like a highway exit.

While a recent poll found that the majority of Americans still fear to ride in self-driving cars, Hyperlane safety is monitored with embedded sensor technology that regulates the flow of traffic along with the autonomous vehicles' built-in computers.