(CNN) - This could be a commuter's dream come true. A Texas professor is developing a car -- that drives itself.
Austin is famous for it's live music outdoor fun and lake living, but unfortunately, it's also known for heavy traffic. "People spend 48 hours on average per year stuck on traffic which costs about 5 billion dollars more than 5 billion dollars in fuel costs and lost productivity," says Peter Stone.
Peter Stone, a UT Computer Science Professor/Researcher says he's come up with the perfect solution. An autonomous, high tech wired car that doesn't need a driver. It can manage and drive a car by itself by using a computer system that manages traffic flow, instead of traffic lights at intersections or roads.
"The idea is that there's a computer program at the intersection that accepts reservations from the cars and the car calls ahead and says I want to arrive at a particular time I'd like to go straight or turn left or turn right, yes go ahead that time is yours and wont let any other car collide with you."
So why would anyone want to take a seat in the back of their own car and to leave the driving to their smart vehicle? "Some people may use it as extra leisure time, you could be reading the newspaper or watching TV, some people may use it for extra work time and productivity," says Stone
And it's more than just relaxing while going to and from says Stone. It would also be safer to get around.
"Intersections are also where many accidents take place, the source of a quarter of all accidents and a third of all fatal accidents even though its a tiny fraction of a roadway and so really we're trying to improve the efficiency and safety on intersections and this could have a huge impact on quality of life within cities," says Stone.
Stone is now trying to get car makers and governments to buy into the new artificial intelligence.
