I think therefore I drive... now cars can read minds

WITH driverless cars and flying taxis in the pipeline, travel is already starting to seem like something out of science fiction.

Now driving is set to become even more Space Age – with the invention of a mind-reading car.

Nissan has announced a ‘breakthrough’ which will enable vehicles to tap into brainwaves and steer, accelerate or brake.

The firm claims that allowing cars to anticipate the driver’s intended movement could speed up reaction times – making driving more enjoyable and improving safety.

For example, the technology can be used to engage the brakes between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds faster than if the driver does it himself.

And while it might seem like something from the distant future, Nissan claims the mind-reading system could be fitted in cars within five to ten years.

Trials have already taken place in real cars and the firm will demonstrate the ‘brain-to-vehicle’ (B2V) system at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week.

Nissan’s executive vice president Daniele Schillaci said: ‘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 brains to make the drive even more exciting and enjoyable.’

Drivers will have to wear a headset which will pick up their brainwaves. These will then be analysed by autonomous driving computer systems, which will interpret the signals.

Nissan added that the B2V technology is also capable of ‘learning’ and will adapt to the driver so it reflects their driving style.

Dr Lucian Gheorghe, who is leading the research project in Japan, said the ‘potential applications of the technology are incredible’.

Responding to questions on driverless cars last year, Transport Minister Shane Ross played down the likelihood of their coming to Ireland in the near future: ‘The EU wish to have fully autonomous [cars] circulating in the EU by 2019 is an ambitious target,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Uber is also developing flying taxis and has announced plans to carry out test flights in Los Angeles in the next couple of years. The firm claims its electric aircraft will travel at speeds of 320kph.