NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - The roster of features in some of today's cars reads like a spy-plane owner's manual: Radar, laser, video, night vision, voice recognition systems, satellite navigation and communications are already being used to boost safety, performance or convenience.

The latest safety philosophy -- often dubbed "electronic cocoon" by engineers -- will further develop these technologies to give cars virtual senses, reflexes and fresh armor. These systems recognize danger and launch pre-emptive countermeasures to swaddle occupants in safety. And they aren't Flash Gordon fantasies: Some inventions will hit showrooms as early as 2005; less complex innovations, like advanced air bags, are already on sale.

More on car safety tech: • The one car safety feature you need now • Stability control: who has it? • Safety tech: coming soon to your car

ADVANCED AIR BAGS For 2004 models, 20 percent of all cars and trucks must feature front air bags that deploy with different levels of force depending on how hard you crash and whether occupants are buckled up. Seat-cushion sensors prevent passenger air bags from deploying if a small child is in the seat. Federal rules require the air bags on virtually all 2006 models.

TIRE-PRESSURE MONITORS Automakers have agreed to install air-pressure sensors inside tires to alert drivers to dangerously under-or over-inflated tires. Most cars will have the sensors by 2008.

LANE-DEPARTURE WARNINGS Tiny cameras or other monitors will scan lane markers, guardrails and other roadside barriers, and sound a warning when a sleepy or inattentive driver begins to veer off the road. This system is already included in some commercial trucks; expect it on some cars by 2005 or 2006.

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PRE-COLLISION MEASURES The Pre-Safe system on the Mercedes S-Class sedan recognizes potential collisions -- using existing stability-control sensors -- and prepares passengers for impact by tightening up on seat belts, deploying air bags, aligning headrests and repositioning seats. Within the next two to three years, radar, laser or ultrasonic sensors will scan the area around a vehicle and measure the speed, angle and size of an approaching object. Further ahead, vehicles may extend bumpers during a collision or expand door panels to create larger crumple zones.

IN-CAR CAMERAS Paired with satellite-based systems, such as GM's OnStar, that currently track vehicles and automatically dispatch crews to accident scenes, cameras will beam video of the car's interior to emergency workers to let them see the condition of the people inside. Cameras will monitor a driver's eyes, sounding a wake-up call if the driver starts to snooze, and will check blind spots or peer around vehicles ahead for a better view. In the future, sensors will transmit vital signs of vehicle occupants. Basic camera systems are expected between 2006 and 2008.

PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY DESIGN Less-rigid front ends designed to soften injuries to pedestrians are already available on eight Honda and Acura models. Other automakers will soon follow suit.

ACTIVE BRAKING AND STEERING Advancing technology already used in adaptive cruise-control systems, a vehicle will apply its brakes automatically if, say, it determines that an approaching car will run a stoplight and cause a collision. With an electronic steering system, the vehicle will automatically take evasive action in emergencies. When: in seven to 10 years.