2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

Ferrari has reportedly applied for a new patent application that’s said to cover technology that monitors a driver’s mental and physical state in order to adjust a car’s stability and traction control systems in order to help avoid potential accidents resulting from a loss of control.

The patent describes the installation of a series of sensors, located around a car’s cabin, which constantly monitors a driver’s state.

The application states: “Drivers tend to miscalculate--in particular, overestimate--their driving skill and, more importantly, their psychophysical condition, with the result that driver-selected dynamic vehicle performance simply reflects the driver’s wish, as opposed to the driver’s actual psychophysical condition and proficiency.”

Some of the driver giveaways the technology will be looking for include respiration rate, blood pressure and heart rates, eye movement and blink rates, brainwave activity, body temperature and the conductivity of the driver’s skin (to determine the degree of perspiration).

The good news is that such a system can dial up a car’s response if it detects a driver is particularly alert, in addition to improving safety in the case of a tired or unresponsive driver.

[Autocar]