Photo: NTNU
Road safety is a big deal nowadays and seeing how all carmakers try to come up with elaborate and efficient safety systems can only make us happy. But lately, Jaguar Land Rover proved to be pretty resourceful in this area.
From the pothole-avoiding system presented only last week, Jaguar Land Rover engineers made a leap to more pressing safety issues. The focus falls on the driver this time, who will have his or her brainwaves scanned.
JLR's system won't be able to read thoughts, but it will measure brainwaves to monitor driver concentration in the car. Also, JLR researchers are working on a new seat technology called Wellness Seat. It is currently being tested in a Jaguar XJ and can analyze the driver’s heart rate and breathing to monitor driver health and stress.
All these two systems come under a project baptized 'Sixth Sense', drawing a lot of inspiration from the sports, medicine, and aeronautics.
“Even if the eyes are on the road, a lack of concentration or a daydream will mean the driver isn’t paying attention to the driving task. They may miss a warning icon or sound, or be less aware of other road users so we are looking at how we could identify this and prevent it causing an accident,” explained Dr. Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover Director of Research and Technology.
Also, if Mind Sense does not detect an increase in brain activity after the car displayed the first warning icon or sound, then it could show it again, or alert the driver in a different way, to ensure he or she is made aware of a potential danger.
Moreover, researchers are considering a haptic accelerator pedal that would send three different types of sensations to the driver's foot.
JLR's system won't be able to read thoughts, but it will measure brainwaves to monitor driver concentration in the car. Also, JLR researchers are working on a new seat technology called Wellness Seat. It is currently being tested in a Jaguar XJ and can analyze the driver’s heart rate and breathing to monitor driver health and stress.
All these two systems come under a project baptized 'Sixth Sense', drawing a lot of inspiration from the sports, medicine, and aeronautics.
“Even if the eyes are on the road, a lack of concentration or a daydream will mean the driver isn’t paying attention to the driving task. They may miss a warning icon or sound, or be less aware of other road users so we are looking at how we could identify this and prevent it causing an accident,” explained Dr. Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover Director of Research and Technology.
How the Mind Sense system works
If brain activity indicates a daydream or poor concentration, then the steering wheel or pedals could vibrate to raise the driver’s awareness and re-engage them.Also, if Mind Sense does not detect an increase in brain activity after the car displayed the first warning icon or sound, then it could show it again, or alert the driver in a different way, to ensure he or she is made aware of a potential danger.
Moreover, researchers are considering a haptic accelerator pedal that would send three different types of sensations to the driver's foot.
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