As Mashable reports, Lexus has tricked out one of its RC F coupes with biometric technology, in what it calls a world-first. The technology records the heartbeat of the driver, which then makes the car’s electro-luminescent paint pulsate in different patterns.
The concept took six months to develop in New South Wales, Australia, and unfortunately for car enthusiasts, there are currently no plans to produce this on more than a one-off scale. The project was a collaboration between M&C Saatchi Australia’s technology division, Tricky Jigsaw and of course Lexus Australia.
The companies wanted to physically demonstrate the connection between cars and the people driving them. To do this, they first had passengers join professional drivers on a closed track. Previous studies have shown IndyCar drivers while racing typically have a heart rate of 150 to 165 beats per minute, significantly higher than the normal 60-100 beats per minute. Perhaps unsurprisingly, passengers accompanying the drivers also had a very elevated heart rate.
That data in hand, the companies got to work. In the concept car, the electrical signals from the driver’s heart is transmitted to a custom-built Arduino control board, which then prompts the car’s special electro-luminescent paint to pulsate in one of several pre-set patterns, similar to LED lights.
The paint — which otherwise looks like a plain silver finish normally — starts to glow thanks to phosphorescent material that emits light when an electric current runs through it. The whole system is powered by a 13-volt auxiliary battery.
M&C Saatchi Australia believes this technology could see use beyond just cars. It could be incorporated in some way for architecture or wearable technology.
