Role of Biometric Sensors in EVs: The Next Revolution in Vehicle Safety
Advanced sensors can increase driver safety by monitoring various situations autonomously.
What if your electric vehicle could monitor your vital signs, identify medical emergencies and also wake you up when you're about to doze off while driving your EV? Well, it turns out, this isn’t a dream anymore as integration of biometric sensors in EVs is on the horizon. And some advanced sensing technologies already in use today.
Analyzing Vital Signs
Biometric sensors is one of the most interesting recent developments in electric vehicles. With their ability to closely monitor the driver's physical condition, these sensors have given your electric vehicle a new level of safety and user experience.
They can monitor various vital signs such as skin temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. For example, heart rate sensors integrated into the seat or steering wheel can give real-time information about the cardiac health of the driver. The device can notify the driver to take a break or get medical help if it notices an irregular heartbeat or high levels of stress.
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In a similar way, respiration rate sensors track the driver's breathing pattern. Any abnormal breathing issue may be a sign of exhaustion or a possible medical problem. The EV can then recommend a rest stop based on this data in order to prevent accidents due to fatigue or health issues.
Detecting Medical Emergencies
The ability of biometric sensors to identify medical emergencies is one of their most notable features. The sensor can identify a possible heart attack in case the driver's heart rate abruptly increases or decreases.
About 805,000 Americans get a heart attack annually (200,000 of them have it for the 2nd time). These sensors usually function together with in-car cameras and can help control such an unpleasant and life-threatening experience.
The EV can respond instantly in such situations by notifying emergency services and providing the location of the car. Some advanced systems can even take over the car and bring it to a safe stop to protect the driver until help arrives. This feature is crucial since it can potentially save lives because it significantly reduces the time it takes for emergency services to reach the vehicle’s location.
Some global automakers, like Hyundai Mobis, are even trying to use technology that would enable the car to recognize a medical emergency and drive itself (without the need for human assistance) to an emergency room. Cheon Jae-Seung, head of the R&D division at Hyundai Mobis, says that they will further update the biometric sensors in EVs to provide additional features, like car sickness prevention, stress management and avoiding drunk driving, based on the unique vital signs database the company has built up over time.
Monitoring Driver Attention
Conventional safety systems use cameras to monitor head position and eye movements. However, biometric sensors in EVs offer a more complete solution. Ideally, both of them are integrated to provide the safest possible driving experience.
For example, the system may alert the driver if the biometric sensors identify any patterns of fatigue or distraction. To assist the driver regain their focus, the EV may occasionally use corrective actions like vibrating the steering wheel, playing an alert sound via the car media or adjusting the cabin environment.
By preventing accidents brought on by careless driving, this proactive strategy can help make the roads safer for everyone as it may prevent the number of accidents caused by careless or distracted driving.
FUN FACT: Owners can set up facial recognition to unlock the Genesis GV60. And this technology will likely be used in future cars as well.
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