Cars as Schools of Fish

Japanese engineers at Nissan Motor Co. have been studying fish and their ability to swim collision-free in large groups, and are trying to apply their discoveries to future vehicles.

So far, these engineers have successfully created robots that can travel in a group of up to seven, avoiding each other and obstacles simultaneously. It is their hope that this technology will one day help reduce accidents on the roads.

Implications - The robots are actually quite cute and are even featured in different colors. They sort of look like blobby ghosts. The fish-mimicking robots were tested on a track where anxious onlookers hoped to see the basis of future safety. For now, people will just have to practice their safe driving skills.