Automakers Suspicious of Cosmic Ray Radiation

Toyota automakers have been dealing with an unexpected global wave of recalls for a few of their top-selling brand models. As if the vehicles had minds of their own, drivers found themselves in precarious situations as their car would suddenly accelerate. Experts are investigating whether these random episodes could be attributed to forces out of this world, quite literally in fact — cosmic ray radiation.  

Experts are now more interested in exploring the risks of malfunction for electronic devices due to cosmic ray radiation, as many automobiles are making heavy use of electronic controls. These electronics command various functions in vehicles, such as gas pedals.

With his extensive research and experience testing the effects of radiation from cosmic rays, TRIUMF senior researcher Ewart Blackmore spoke with reporter Denise Chow from LiveScience and SPACE.com on the issue and he attests that these suspicions may be in fact entirely plausible.

The radiation testing facilities at TRIUMF are used to test radiation effects in electronics for about 30 companies each year, ranging from the Canadian Space Agency to Cisco Systems.          

Read the article here.