MICROWAVE, radar and broadband communications are set to transform the future of motoring and a milestone research programme aims to maintain Britain's lead in this pioneering 'new wave' technology.

Satellite navigation, integrated hands-free telephones, electronic parking aids and even on-board e-mail systems are now starting to become commonplace in today's motor vehicles. But, claim researchers, this is just the beginning of a new high tech automotive revolution which will help to reduce accidents, ease congestion, cut journey times and open up a new generation of broadband communication services for motorists.

Over the next three years, a new British initiative, part of the Government-funded, SMMT-led Foresight Vehicle programme, aims to develop and demonstrate a multi-purpose system which will turn many of the potential benefits of this 'new wave' technology into low-cost reality for new car buyers. The research could lead to radar-based collision avoidance and road recognition systems becoming standard on every new car within a decade and advanced short-range sensors to improve pedestrian protection.

But equally exciting is the potential created by marrying broadband systems with radar to turn new cars into mobile communication centres. The technology will help to transform road systems into new, wire-free, hot-spot highways, allowing both drivers and vehicle occupants, using powerful speech recognition systems, to access a range of services from traffic congestion information, web browsing and video conferencing to on-line shopping.

The joint industry, education and Government research project, called SLIMSENS, marks a milestone in the successful SMMT-led Foresight Vehicle programme. It is the 100th project to be started under the Government-funded initiative, aimed at maintaining Britain's position as one of the high technology leaders in automotive design and development.