A new concept from Nissan, called Brain-to-Vehicle or B2V for short, involves a system that analyzes brainwaves and tells the car how to respond. For example, when you see a turn approaching your brain will react with a certain set of signals. The brainwave-reading system will pick up on these signals and inform the car to initiate the turn. It is essentially speeding up the car’s reaction time by giving it a way to predict what you will want it to do next.
According to Nissan, the car can take action a half-second earlier than when controlled purely by human motions. In dangerous situations a system like this could improve safety by helping to avoid crashes. It also has potential applications in autonomous vehicles, where it could gauge a passenger’s comfort level and adjust the driving accordingly.
Nissan will have a driving simulator that shows off some aspects of the B2V concept at CES in Las Vegas next week.