My Way or the Highway… Or the Car’s Way?
Growing up, if all you ever wanted was a car that maneuvered effortlessly like Speed Racer’s Mach 5 or one that synched with your moves like faithful KITT did to Michael Knight, you may be in luck. At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nissan revealed new “brain-to-vehicle” (B2V) technology. This state of the art design would vastly increase the automobile’s reaction time, potentially eliminating certain dangers of driving, and could even sense the driver’s next move before they think about lifting a muscle. Some have begun to compare Nissan’s B2V endeavor to GM’s lofty goal of creating autonomous cars without a steering wheel or pedals by 2019. Daniele Schillaci, Nissan’s Executive Vice President had this to say about skeptics, “When most people think about autonomous driving, they have a very impersonal vision of the future, where humans relinquish control to the machines, yet B2V technology does the opposite, by using signals from their own brain to make the drive even more exciting and enjoyable”.
This groundbreaking technology is still being developed and currently requires the driver to wear special electrodes and a headset. The electrodes use electroencephalography to measure brain patterns of the driver; eventually these patterns will be used to predict the drivers next move, whether it be turning, speeding up or slowing down. Recent simulations conducted by Nissan show that B2V technology can prognosticate the driver’s reaction 0.2 to 0.5 seconds before their action is started.
Don’t get too excited fellow science lovers; B2V technology will likely enter the market in a decade after years of rigorous testing. Besides any autonomous bugs that need to be worked out, cosmetic issues such as the clunky headset must be resolved. In the meantime, our dedicated team here at The Lab World Group will drive the good ole fashioned way to recover your retired pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment. You or your “brain-to-vehicle” Nissan can always drive to our convenient Woburn location and check out the recently listed 2017 Thermo Medifuge Centrifuge or 2017 Thermo GPF Countertop -20°C Freezer.
