We bet Tomorrow's World never saw this one coming.
Roads which glow in the dark and which could even be used to charge electric cars on the move are to be introduced in the Netherlands in 2013.
The so-called 'Smart Highways' were unveiled last week at Dutch Design Week and are designed to be 'more sustainable, safe and intuitive' than traditional roads.
The Smart Highway is the work of Dutch design firms Studio Roosegarde and Heijmans Infrastructure, and was awarded the title of 'Best Future Concept' at the Dutch Design Awards.
Smart Highways will feature special lanes for electric vehicles which will allow their owners to charge their cars as the travel along, possibly by way of the established technology of inductive charging.
Another plan being touted is to fit roads with power-saving street lights which only illuminate when there is a car approaching.
Although this technology is some years off, from 2013 Dutch roads will be painted with lines made from special photo-luminescent powder which charges in sunlight to illuminate the road at night. Also being introduced next year is a temperature-sensitive paint which will make ice on the road visible to drivers.
Images © Dan Roosegarde / Heijmans
