The greatest features of cars come in the form of convenience and safety. It’s fun to imagine what the future cars will look like and the things they will do, but thanks to Jaguar, it seems we don’t have to imagine anymore. They’ve managed to bring the future to the present with some amazing new designs, some of which are already a reality.
Today we’ll talk about the concept of Jaguar’s Mind Sense, and then we’ll discuss the amazing and someone odd concept of using your smartphone to drive your Land Rover. It may seem like an odd feature, but there’s an audience for it. Interested? Let’s dive in!
Driving With Your Mind!
It’s called Mind Sense, and it’s a feature in upcoming Jaguar cars that monitors your brain waves. It will know what distractions are plaguing you on the road, and more so, it will allow you to trigger buttons on the dashboard without ever touching them.
Researchers explain the technology by first showcasing how brainwaves work. Our brains generate four types of dominant waves depending on your mental activity. This information alone can show if you’re alert, daydreaming, sleepy, or even distracted.
In medical situations, these waves are measured by placing sensors on the patient’s head, but Jaguar has the idea to put these sensors in the steering wheel.
Dr. Wolfgang Epple, the Director of Research and Technology at Jaguar explains how measuring these waves could be use to increase safety: “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.”
He continues: “If mind sense does not detect a surge in brain activity following the car displaying a warning icon or sound, then it could display it again, or communicate with the driver in a different way, to ensure the driver is made aware of a potential hazard.”
In addition to the wheel mounted sensors, additional ones could be placed on the seat to monitor the heart rate and breathing frequency of the driver. These would allow the car to take over driving if the driver is unable to do so. Stress sensors could also help by changing the audio settings, lighting, and air temperature.
To further the crusade for safer driving, Jaguar is also looking at ways to keep the driver’s eyes on the road and away from touch screens. To minimize this, research is being put into predictive technology that could tell where a person’s finger was heading and trigger the button for them, thus minimizing the amount of time they aren’t paying attention.
Ultrasonic feedback systems could also help by making the driver feel like they pushed the button in the air. This confirmation would trigger a success feeling in the brain, thereby removing the need for the driver to check the screen to see if they pressed the right button.
Tests of this technology have shown that drivers were able to hit the intended button 22 percent faster then other designs. While it’s still a ways off from being the standard, these types of innovations in U.S. car brands are raising the bar when it comes to safety.
There’s An App For That
Looks like James Bond wasn’t too far off. The new Land Rover boasts a technology called Remote Control Range Rover Sport that allows you to pilot the vehicle while you’re not in it by using your smartphone! You can only do this from a short distance and you may be wondering why it’s a feature at all.
As it turns out, there’s a market for something like this in the world of off-road driving. Instead of having to jump in and out of the car, a driver could get out and negotiate tough terrain while using their phone to drive the car through it. It’s also implied that the feature could work well in situations where the parking isn’t ideal and you need a better perspective to get in or out of a spot.
The system does have limits though, and while it works, it’s still experimental in nature. You must be within 30 feet of the car, and if you get too close or far the car will stop automatically. It will also only go up to 4 miles per hour in this mode for safety reasons.
Another interesting feature is a Multi-Point Turn that can be done automatically. The car will perform its turn while handling the shifting, accelerating, and braking by itself.
All of these things may be experimental, but as a whole, they showcase how Jaguar is already making future cars for our present. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing what they do next.
