Hyundai Mobis has announced that it is developing an integrated controller that analyses the driver's vital signs, such as posture, heart rate, and brainwaves, the company announced on 23. The company expects that this dedicated vital signs controller will contribute to enabling the vehicle to play a role as a 'moving health check-up center.'
Dubbed the Smart Cabin Controller by the company, this technology consists of four sensors for measuring the vital signs of occupants, a controller to analyse such signs, and software logic. The company has developed something akin to an advanced brain that can analyse vital signs that change in real-time.While there are already controllers capable of processing certain vital signs in the mobility industry, this is the first time for a dedicated healthcare controller to be developed to perform an integrated analysis of various vital signs. With this new controller, it is now well on the way to realising safety technology focused on the occupants rather than in terms of vehicle performance, a communication from the company said. 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.Cheon Jae-seung, Head of the R&D division, Hyundai Mobis, said, 'Our core competitive edge is the software solution that has been designed to apply healthcare to mobility and the controller that enables integrated control. 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.' The Smart Cabin Controller is equipped with four sensors: 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 the ears, and an HVAC sensor to measure the temperature/humidity and carbon dioxide level of the cabin. In addition, the controller analyses various vital signs collected from these sensors in real time to help with safe driving, the company added.