Driving isn’t rocket science, but it still requires a good dose of concentration so you can react quickly to unexpected situations (like another car suddenly swerving into your lane) and avoid accidents. A lot of people like to text or use their phones while they’re driving, and this is one of the most common causes of car accidents. Not only does this put the driver’s life at risk, but it also endangers pedestrians and other drivers and their passengers as well.
With this in mind, Emotiv and the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia have teamed up to develop the Attention Powered Car. It comes with an EPOC neuroheadset by Emotiv that the driver is supposed to put on. The headset measures electrical activity in the brain that can determine the driver’s focus while he or she is driving.
The headset works with custom software that’s installed on the car. Whenever the driver’s focus wanes, the car slows down to 9mph to alert the driver and remind him or her to pay attention. Moreover, the car will only run at full capacity when the driver gives his or her full attention to driving.
RAC’s executive general manager Pat Walker explains: “The impact of inattention is now comparable to the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by speed and drink driving, which are all contributors to Western Australia consistently having the worst fatality rate of any Australian state. Nationally, it is estimated inattention was a factor in 46 percent of fatal crashes.”
VIA [ C|NET ]
