Ford Driving Technologies: Biometric Benefits
Looking a bit further over the horizon, Ford engineers are now exploring technologies that not only monitor a driver’s surroundings, but also keep track of his or her stress levels and adjust the driving experience accordingly.
Here’s how such a system would work: Sensors located throughout the vehicle will be able to analyze traffic and driving patterns to determine when the driver is likely to be in a high-stress environment, like a traffic jam, and also rely on advanced biometric monitors in the cabin to note a driver’s pulse, breathing rate and body temperature, all of which tend to rise when one is in a tense situation.
The vehicle could then adjust lane-departure and blind-spot alerts to give drivers more warning time, as well as prevent incoming phone calls and electronic messages that could cause dangerous distractions.
“While these features are still in research, they show significant opportunity for us to leverage data already being captured by the vehicle and apply an intelligent decision-making system to simplify the driving experience,” according to Gary Strumolo, manager of vehicle design and infotronics, Ford Research and Innovation.