Nissan takes a different approach in autonomous car world
The world’s biggest automakers and technology companies are investing billions of dollars to perfect the ability to drive without thinking. Nissan Motor is taking a different direction– aiming to translate your thinking so hands-on driving is more enjoyable.
The automaker will reveal and evaluate its “brain-to-vehicle” technology at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The “B2V” system needs a driver to use a skullcap that determines brain-wave activity and sends its readings to steering, acceleration and braking systems that can begin responding before the driver starts the action.
The driver still turns the wheel or hits the gas pedal, however the automobile expects those movements and starts the actions 0.2 seconds to 0.5 seconds faster, stated Lucian Gheorghe, a senior innovation researcher at Nissan managing the project. The earlier response ought to be imperceptible to drivers, he said.
“We think of a future where manual driving is still a value of society,” stated Gheorghe, 40, who earned a doctorate in applied neural technology. “Driving satisfaction is something as humans we must not lose.”
Automakers are checking out the ways to keep driving relevant as beginners such as Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo and Apple Inc. aim to overthrow the industry with completely autonomous technologies. IHS Markit expects 21 million autonomous vehicles to be sold annually by 2035– equivalent to about a quarter of all existing vehicle sales.
