How Would You Feel About A Future Without Traffic Lights?

Ford’s saying it might be possible. While Honda is unveiling its “Vehicle-To-Everything” technology which would change the way cars operate and interact with their surroundings, Ford thinks its Intersection Priority Management (IPM) system could take that even further by allowing cars to not always have to stop for an intersection or traffic sign.

The system suggests speeds that allow a car to pass through an intersection without coming to a complete stop. The technology is inspired by the way humans maneuver through crowds of people. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications allows cars in an area to know each other’s location, the direction of travel and speed, while the IPM system identifies upcoming intersections. The IPM also calculates all of the surrounding cars’ paths and produces the optimal speed for each of them to pass through an intersection without colliding or stopping.

The technology is being tested out in the U.K. and Ford is first testing the technology with humans behind the wheel, but IPM may not need humans or traffic signals one day.