For example, some U.S. soldiers recently refused to have their cells included in a military DNA database because they feared the data hidden in their DNA could be used against them later. Smarter Automobiles Now Rule the Road Gone are the days when driving a powerful car meant you burned gas like it was free and fussed over a carburetor for hours. Microprocessors now run the engines so efficiently that many standard-size cars get up to 30 miles to a gallon and enough torque to make passing f un. And as a bonus, the latest engines can go for 100,000 miles without a tune-up, thanks to the microprocessors. The technology doesn't end there.
Air bags open when a microprocessor detects impact.
Car CD players fight skips by reading ahead several seconds and filling in lost gaps before it's time to play the data. Many of the CPU families we're familiar with in our desktop systems have versions that serve as embedded processors. This includes the PowerPC, Motorola's 680x0 line, and many Intel chips. Auto makers are exploring custom OSes to network the dozen or more CPUs common in automobiles. Talk about the infobahn.