Chris Gerdes, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of the Stanford Center for Design Research, demonstrated how the mechanism worked by driving a Corvette through a series of cones without touching the steering wheel.

Three GPS antennas on the car's roof identified the direction the car was traveling and its exact location within a few centimeters. Whenever the car started to drift, an onboard computer nudged it back toward the center of the lane.

"This technology might save tens of thousands of lives each year," Gerdes said. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for people from childhood to their mid-30s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In almost half of all fatal motor vehicle accidents, the first harmful event occurs when the vehicle leaves its lane and collides with a fixed object.

Gerdes' goal is to write software that creates an experience for the driver that is reliable yet unobtrusive.

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