Imagine if your car was connected to the Internet all the time, and it sends not only a steady stream of data but also receives signals to speed up or slow down based on traffic. Now that future is already here.

The UK has revealed the details of an ambitious project that involves connecting an entire highway to the Internet. A 50 mile stretch of the A14 that runs between Felixstowe and Birmingham will soon be outfitted with sensors that will monitor traffic by sending signals to mobile devices in moving cars.

This will turn the highway into a smart road, and will have more than just monitoring traffic capabilities. According to experts, this type of technology could be the foundation of a communications system for self-driving cars.

But the Brits aren't the only ones thinking about doing this. Michigan is also hosting a massive experiment involving 3,000 cars equipped with special wireless communication devices that will enable them to communicate with each other on the road.

Elsewhere, a Dutch design firm has plans for a "Smart Highway" that would use next generation paint to make signs on pavement responsive to the environment.

The future of an Internet connected highway is really not so distant after all. If it solves traffic jams, then we're all in for this. [The Guardian, Wired]