Auto Guide (and a few other places) have been looking at… well, is the step before a driverless car or the step beyond? Anyway, it’s a thing where Jaguar/Land Rover is using NASA technology to build a car that scans your brainwaves, reading your mental state:
The British automaker is developing new technology that will use sensors in the steering wheel to measure your brainwaves, and if that isn’t creepy enough, Jaguar Land Rover believes it can detect whether you’re distracted or falling asleep.
“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 with driving,” said the company’s research and technology director Dr Wolfgang Epple. In order to develop the technology, Jaguar Land Rover is actually researching a method that is used by NASA to develop a pilot’s concentration skills.
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In addition to the steering wheel sensors, the automaker is testing a medical-grade sensor integrated in the seat of a Jaguar XJ to detect vibrations from a driver’s heartbeat and breathing.