If only Volkswagen made use of this technology.

An MIT report says wireless sensors could be used to benefit the auto industry by enabling diesel engines to use less fuel, while lowering soot and ash emissions.

An MIT spinout company, Filter Sensing Technologies (FST), invented sensors years ago, utilizing radio frequency signals that measure how much soot and ash builds up in engine exhaust filters. Like cell phones, FST sensors transmit a radio frequency. The sensors' signal drops as emissions' buildup of ash and soot increase.

This past October, FST was acquired by CTS Corporation, a large manufacturer of vehicle electronics and sensors. MIT says that business transaction should result in these sensors being ramped up in production for diesel engines, which face the most strict emissions regulations.

"The industry dynamics are such that it is challenging for a small company to scale and meet OEM requirements of quality and volume. This means additional resources for scaling up and manufacturing," FST co-founder and sensor co-inventor Alex Sappok told MIT in its report.

MIT additionally reports that during a two-year study involving New York City garbage trucks, the sensors slashed the frequency and length of filter regeneration in half, accounting for an up to two-percent savings in fuel. MIT cites this as being a significant ground test, considering garbage trucks in New York City use anywhere from 5,000 to 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year.

How soon can CTS take FST's wireless-sensing technology and put it into mass effect with diesel-engine vehicles?