A car that reads the driver's mind

Nissan has indicated that it was exploring vehicles that interpreted signals from drivers’ brains.

It is referred to as “brain-to-vehicle” technology (B2V).  This is intended to anticipate a manoeuvre before drivers make it, allowing autonomous driving systems to kick in early.

The company said that the the system uses brain wave activity to catch signs that a driver is about to initiate a movement, such as turning the steering wheel or hitting the brake.  Driver assist technologies can then begin the action more quickly.  Accordingly, the technology could lead to manoeuvres being performed between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds faster than by the driver alone.

This is a futuristic vision of driving in which the individual motorist remains in control of the vehicle and it stands in contrast to the development of driverless cars, being led by manufacturers around the world, in which the owner becomes a largely passive player in the journey.

It followed research into the use of brain decoding technology to predict a driver’s actions and detect discomfort. In the first system of its kind, the driver wears a device that measures brain wave activity, which is then analysed by autonomous systems.