Hyundai Mobis, the leading global automotive supplier has developed an integrated controller that analyses the driver's vital signs, such as posture, heart rate, and brainwaves, becoming the first in the world to do so.
The Smart Cabin Controller, as the company calls the technology, consists of four sensors for measuring the vital signs of occupants, a controller to analyse such signs, and software logic. The four sensors include a 3D camera that captures the posture of occupants, an ECG sensor mounted on the steering wheel, an ear-set sensor to measure the brainwaves flowing around ears, and an HVAC sensor to measure the temperature/ humidity and carbon dioxide level of the cabin.
This new technology is something akin to an advanced brain that can analyse vital signs that change in real time, claimed the company. The South Korean supplier expects the integrated controller to enable the vehicle to play a role as a ‘moving health check-up centre’.
Sharing an example, the company said the controller recommends switching to the autonomous driving mode if the ECG sensor detects a high stress level in the driver, and it opens windows or switches to the outside-circulation mode if the CO2 level is too high.
This, however, isn’t the first controller that is capable of processing certain vital signs in the mobility industry. Having said that, this is the first time for a dedicated healthcare controller to be developed that can perform an integrated analysis of various vital signs, said Hyundai Mobis.
The company plans to preoccupy the market, which is currently in a fledgling state, by combining this new healthcare technology with mobility. To this end, automotive suppliers are unprecedentedly showing a move toward securing experts in biotech or robotics, stated a company release.
The new controller is expected to allow the company to realise safety technology that is focused on the occupants, and not just in terms of vehicle performance.
“Our core competitive edge is the software solution that has been designed to apply healthcare to mobility and the controller that enables integrated control,” said Cheon Jae-seung, Head of the R&D Division, Hyundai Mobis. “Based on the unique vital signs database we've built up, we will upgrade this technology further to provide more features, including carsickness prevention, stress management, and the blocking of drunk driving.”
Further, the company said this technology is expected to evolve to be able to guide the vehicle to an emergency room in case of an emergency, such as cardiac arrest.
It must also be noted that last year, Hyundai Mobis had become the world’s first to develop ‘M.Brain’ – a brainwave-based driver monitoring system. The company is also expanding globally its sales activities with ‘M.VICS’, an autonomous driving cockpit system equipped with various new healthcare technologies, including an ECG sensor, driver monitoring camera, and carsickness reduction technology.
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