No sweat for Nissan
Nissan has revealed its prototype sweat-sensing car seat which it claims could help prevent road accidents.
According to the BBC, the technology, called Soak, changes colour if perspiration is high in salt, suggesting dehydration. Previous research by the European Hydration Institute and Loughborough University found that dehydrated drivers were as error-prone as those who had drunk alcohol.
The sweat-sensitive coating, which was developed with Dutch design company Droog, is also applied to the steering wheel and changes it and the front seats from blue to yellow to signal dehydration.
Prof Peter Wells, an expert in business and sustainability from Cardiff University Business School, said, ‘This particular application is obviously on the edge of usefulness but it shows a willingness to think more generally about road safety and find a way forward.’
Prof Wells added that other potentially measurable factors which affect drivers could include their emotional state – perhaps by monitoring adrenaline or hormone levels.
There are currently no plans to bring Soak into production.
