Nissan Brain-to-Vehicle technology can read driver's mind

Nissan's Brain-to-Vehicle or B2V technology uses a brain decoding system that helps in predicting a driver's action and discomfort.

A car that learns from its driver? Well, that’s exactly what Nissan has been working on lately. The Japanese automaker has revealed a research that claims to enable vehicles to interpret signals from the driver’s brain, thereby making cars react quicker than usual. Nissan is calling this tech Brain-to-Vehicle or B2V and is all set to give a demonstration of its latest development at the upcoming 2018 CES in Las Vegas, US.

According to Nissan, the main aim of the B2V technology is to speed up reaction times for drivers so as to make driving more relaxing, enjoyable and safer. So, how does the system actually work? First up, there’s a device that the driver wears on his head. This is used to measure the brain wave activity, which is then analysed by an autonomous system. The system then uses a brain decoding technology to predict a driver’s actions and detects discomfort, which is primarily done in two steps – Predict & Detect. The former method reads signs of any movement that the driver’s brain is about to initiate – such as turning the steering wheel or pushing the throttle pedal – and quickens the reaction time by using the driver assist technology. If Nissan is to be believed, the system can take actions 0.2 to 0.5 seconds faster than the driver, while ‘remaining largely imperceptible.’

On the other hand, the detect mode is used to evaluate the driver’s discomfort by using artificial intelligence that can change the driving configuration or driving style when in autonomous mode.

Nissan also claims that this technology has a lot of potential and it can be used for various other applications. For instance, the technology can use augmented reality to adjust what the driver sees and create a more relaxing environment, as per Nissan.