An internet of cars
Chris Speed, Duncan Shingleton · 2012
In this paper, the authors introduce a creative approach to conceiving cars as data packets through the use of their license registration plate and offering a playful platform that allows users to engage with them as though they were part of social media. The paper introduces the concept of the Internet of Things and suggests that a barrier exists that is preventing the general public from conceiving cars as being part of a similar network. The authors identify similarities between existing tagging technologies that support objects to be tracked through the internet but highlight the apparent oversight of cars to offer the same capabilities. The authors present a vision for a platform that leverages the unique identifying properties of car registration plates and introduces a cultural project in which people will be able to 'play' with cars as they might data through games, messaging services, and visualisations.