[LINK] Electromagnetic pulse artillery shell

[Jim Birch]

Traffic lights are designed as state sets so that they can't show
incompatible signals, eg, green in all directions, even if a control fault
occurs or they are hacked.  That would require a physical rewiring at the
control box.  This is basic design safety and has been around for a long
time.

It should be possible to create so good traffic jams by hacking central
traffic controls but you won't create a double green signal.

Jim

On 25 January 2017 at 15:00, Chris Johnson <Chris.Johnson at anu.edu.au> wrote:

> Writers need to think a little further on the efects of induced failure
> of electronic systems.
>
> David <dlochrin at key.net.au> wrote:
> > For example, if all the traffic lights in a CBD are networked back to a
> central control system the traffic throughput might be amazing, but nothing
> would move if the system failed.  Or it was hacked.
>
> Sorry, this is a furphy: traffic can certainly move with no trafic
> lights operating. Remember the policeman on point duty? a person can
> easily control traffic, at the rate of one person per normal
> intersection, with almost no training.
> Worse than having inoperative lights would be hacked lights which
> induced collisions, jamming the intersections, by showing random signals
> or showing green in all directions. That is not part of the requirements
> for this weapon.
>
> --
> Chris Johnson, Honorary AsPro ANU
>
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