[legion]

So I was thinking...

A camshaft is essentially an analog computer. It controls when a valve opens, how far, and for how long. Some fancy systems like V-tech and Variocam are designed to allow "the program" to be altered on the fly, but they are really just fancier analog computers.

In theory, it is possible to eliminate the camshaft and have the engine computer directly control the valves. This would create an engine where valve timing could be continuously tuned to either peak power or peak efficiency, and move between both seemlessly.

So, why is this not happening?

I understand that a cylinder head is a brutal environment. It is hot, it is full of oil, it vibrates. Is there some sort of electric (or hydraulic) control system that could be used to actuate valves on demand?