Hughes Unit Looks to ‘Smart Highways’

Hughes Aircraft Co.’s Ground Systems Group said it has reached an agreement with a Montreal-based company to develop roadside communications systems that could be used in the so-called “smart highways” of the future.

Ground Systems Group and the Vapor subsidiary of Mark IV Industries Inc. will create high-tech products such as electronic sensors that could be installed on highways to automate toll collection and track hazards and vehicle congestion.

Ground Systems hopes to develop a range of technologies for use in computer-controlled highways as part of Hughes’ effort to diversify its operations to move away from dependence on military revenue.