We’re living in an era of unprecedented daily change, where we now carry supercomputers in our pockets and can reach any point in the globe in 12 hours or less. Interestingly, we’re seeing change in many areas that don’t absolutely need it, and not much change in something we use every day: our roads.

IFLScience.com has reported that a small US-based company is looking to change that. Called Solar Roadways, it’s a small two-person startup based in Idaho in the US that has been working on creating a new kind of connected road surface that uses microprocessors, circuit boards, LED lights, solar power and hardened glass to give intelligence to the roads of the future.

Scott and Julie Brosaw’s hexagonal glass solar panels harness the power of the sun to power each panel’s electronics, and feed any surplus energy back into the power grid. They’ve also been designed to accommodate additional cables, like those for high-speed internet connections in a bid to make them even more useful.

Each hexagonal tile is incredibly strong, and able to survive being driven on by even the heaviest of trucks. They’ve already been used to pave a parking lot as a proof of concept, but The Brosaws now need a bit more cash in order to tweak the design and move into the production phase of the project.

To do that, they’re hoping to raise over a million dollars funding website Indiegogo. In their promotional video for the project, the Brosaws say that if the US’s entire road network, which spans around 31 000 square miles (49 600 square kilometres) was covered with their panels, the roads alone would be able to supply over three times the amount of electricity needed to power the country annually.

It’s a bold claim, but definitely one worth investigating. If you’re feeling as if you’d like to contribute meaningfully to the future of the planet, consider throwing them a few bucks; you can get in on the action for just $5 (R51 or so).

Here’s their pitch video:

[Source – IFLScience.com, Image – Artist Sam Cornett via Indiegogo.com]