The brain-powered CAR: Vehicle monitors whether a driver is paying attention and slows down if they're distracted

According to road safety charity, Brake, probably far more often than you'd like to think. The group estimates that a huge 22 per cent of all crashes are caused by driver inattention.

A new car, however, hopes to solve this problem by using a driver's brain waves to start the engine and keep it going.

The Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) has revealed the world's first Attention Powered Car to raise awareness about the impact of inattention on our road

The concept, developed by the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia and Emotiv, is currently being tested in a Honda i40. The Attention Powered Car features a neuro headset that connects brain activity to the car’s engine through customised software.

The headset has 14 sensors detecting electrical activity from the frontal, temple, parietal and perceptual areas of the brain. The amount of activity in these areas registers what the driver is processing, or if they are zoning out.

The Attention Powered Car features a neuro headset that connects brain activity to the car's engine through customised software. The headset has 14 sensors detecting electrical activity from the frontal, temple, parietal and perceptual areas of the brain

HOW DOES THE ATTENTION POWERED CAR WORK?

The car features a neuro headset that connects brain activity to the car’s engine through customised software.
The headset has 14 sensors detecting electrical activity from the frontal, temple, parietal and perceptual areas of the brain. The amount of activity in these areas registers what the driver is cognitively processing, or if they are zoning out. When the driver is distracted, the software sends a cut-off signal to the car and the accelerator switches to idle safely slowing the car down.

The headset can tell whether a driver’s attention goes from the road to the radio, when their neural activity dips, or when their blink rate slows significantly. A gyroscope in the headset can also detect when a driver significantly turned their head away from the road.

When the driver is distracted, the software sends a cut-off signal to the car and the accelerator switches to idle safely slowing the car down.

The headset can tell whether a driver’s attention goes from the road to the radio, when their neural activity dips, or when their blink rate slows significantly.

A gyroscope in the headset can also detect when a driver significantly turns their head away from the road.

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Just a cool guy who loves the tech world and the opportunities it presents to this generation. I am an elect/elect engineer but computers,programming and softwares are the things that drives me crazy.Email me: akinyomioluwafemi@gmail.com
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