The concept of self-regulating traffic lights is being explored by Stefan Lämmer of the Dresden University of Technology, in Dresden, Germany, and Dirk Helbing of ETH Zurich, who are creating traffic signals that both monitor traffic in real time and communicate with other networked signals to effectively and efficiently manage the flow of traffic. Read more after the jump.

The pair first created a computer model of Dresden's roads "in which the traffic streams flowed and merged not unlike water going through pipes," according to Gizmag. Virtual traffic lights were added to the roads, with sensors monitoring traffic flow. Using these data, each virtual traffic light figured the expected number of immediately oncoming vehicles as well as the length of time the light would need to stay green in order to let that amount of traffic through. But the system also allowed for the lights to "talk" to each other in order to adjust their timing based on the data from the rest of the traffic-signal network so that a group of cars wouldn't coast through one light uninterrupted only to be stuck on red at the next light.

While to the casual observer the traffic flow seemed random compared with the usual pre-programmed patterns, it in fact reduced waiting time by up to 30 percent.

According to Gizmag, Lämmer and Helbing are working with a German traffic management agency with the aim of implementing the system on real roads.