This Company Has a New Gadget That Wants to Solve Road Rage
Even with “Hotline Bling” blaring and the sunroof open, there’s no getting around it: Sometimes driving can be a major hassle. Sure, you can load up your car with podcasts and snacks, but even the tastiest trail mix can’t make up for crazy drivers. Since it may be a long time before you get a self-driving car, one insurance company decided to try and make things a little easier on the road.
Nerd Wallet reports that State Farm Insurance wants to install a system of cameras and sensors in your car that can read your emotions. The sensors would respond to things that tip off strong emotions, like steering wheel grip or abrupt braking or angry facial expressions. These sensors would be so good at detecting “infared optical brain imaging data” that they could even tell when you were side eyeing a fellow driver in a mean way. When the sensors detect road rage-y behaviors, they start producing calming stimuli, like soothing music or even directions to the nearest rest stop or scenic overlook.
This “emotional-management plan” is still in the patent-seeking phase, so it’s leaving us with a few unanswered questions. For example, how would the car handle emotional problems like PTSD, which makes driving inherently stressful? What would this kind of program cost? Do people really want (or need) a machine to that constantly tells you to chill?
Still, experts are predicting that sensors like these may be “a standard part of an auto-insurance policy” in the next five years. That means it’s time to put on your happy faces and keep driving!
Would you want this kind of tech in your car? Tell us in the comments!
(h/t Nerd Wallet, feature image via Disney/Pixar)
