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Enjoy Total Driving Immersion With Honda's New HUSH Distraction-Limiting Technology

We’ve all been there, concentrating on the road ahead while our passengers seemingly can’t stop talking and distracting us. Honda just announced it launched a new infotainment system feature designed to block out in-car distractions, enabling you to enjoy your drive. It’s the company’s first distraction-limiting technology, appropriately named HUSH, which stands for Honda's Ultra Quiet Sonic Hub.
Honda HUSH Technology 6 photos
Photo: Honda
Honda HUSH TechnologyHonda HUSH TechnologyDriver in CarDriver in CarDriver in Car
If you have kids, you’ve surely felt distracted while having them in your vehicle. Needless to say, the issue is not limited to children – our partners, in-laws, friends, and colleagues sometimes seem to choose inconvenient times to engage in conversation. Using Honda’s new technology, you can block out the noises passengers make at the touch of a button.

Honda surveyed thousands of drivers in the UK, asking them what their biggest pain point was when on the road. The results were clear, with the most significant answer being distractions within the car. Specifically, backseat drivers were the number one frustration – passengers commenting, especially regarding our driving style or routes, drives us crazy. Dessie Bell, Head of Sound Technology at Honda, said, “While backseat drivers were the number one frustration, drivers must also contend with crying children, barking dogs, co-workers on calls – and so HUSH was created.”

So, how does HUSH address the issue? It works similarly to the technology used in noise-canceling headphones. Using algorithms and AI (artificial intelligence), it analyzes ambient sound waves and generates continuous and progressive audio with opposing sound waves. Child screaming recognition is standard, and other phrases that bug us, such as “you’ve missed the turn,” “I would’ve gone the other way,” and “are we there yet,” are also pre-set to be recognized.

Honda HUSH Technology
Photo: Honda
Activating HUSH is very straightforward; just press the button within the center console. You can choose whether to block sounds from the rear seats or passenger seat, or both for total driving immersion. Instead, you can opt for other sounds to take their place – standard options include white noise, whale songs, and elevator music in jazz or blues. What’s more, you can use the integrated voice recognition software and say “Ssssh” to activate HUSH.

The technology can only be used if the car is in motion. If you’re struggling with distractions in your day-to-day life, Honda recommends mindfulness, coloring books, or jazz music to soothe your soul. In case you feel your car is too quiet and prefer the standard levels of distraction, the company advises contacting a doctor or pharmacist.

Other limited editions are in the works, with a scheduled release for 2024. For instance, you can opt for an AI add-on that makes your passengers sound like your favorite celebrity, such as David Beckham, Cheryl Cole, or Sir David Attenborough.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, this was all an April Fool's Joke. No worries, you're not alone, Honda also managed to fool me, so props to the company for the ingenious way of making this seem legit. Unfortunately, we won't see HUSH in any Hondas.
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About the author: Mircea Mazuru
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Starting out with a motorcycle permit just because he could get one two years earlier than a driver's license, Mircea keeps his passion for bikes (motor or no motor) alive to this day. His lifelong dream is to build his own custom camper van.
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