LONDON: It’s better than personalised number plates: Lexus has designed a one-off car that can reflect the driver’s heartbeat on the vehicle’s exterior using electro-luminescent paint.
A Lexus RC F coupe has been adapted with the world-first biometric technology, which is intended to visualise the emotional and physical connection between the car and its driver. Lexus is calling it the “heartbeat car.”
The aim of the project, a joint initiative between the creative technology division of M&C Saatchi Australia, Tricky Jigsaw, and Lexus Australia, was to connect the human body to the car. “We’re changing the conversation from top speeds, to talking about what the car does to you emotionally,” Ben Cooper, innovation director at M&C Saatchi, told.
The six-month build started at a closed-off track in southern New South Wales. To begin, Cooper and his team had to find out how driving affects the human body, especially the heart rate.
“We saw firsthand that when you sat in the passenger seat with a professional driver taking you around the track, your heart goes through the roof when he takes that corner,” Cooper said. “From there, we looked at how we were going to take the heartbeat and express it throughout the car.”
In the concept vehicle, a standard heartbeat monitor sends the driver’s heartbeat wirelessly to a control board in the rear of the car. The custom-built Arduino control board takes the electrical signal from your heart and prompts the electro-luminescent paint to display it in a pre-determined, pulsating pattern on the car’s panels. This appears in a similar fashion to a LED light.
The specialised paint, which contains phosphorescent substances that emit light particles in response to alternating electrical current, is the product of the U.S.-based company, Lumilor. When the system is not functioning, the car has a standard silver finish with no sign of its glowing capabilities lying just below the surface.
The system is powered by a 13V auxiliary battery, which can use the car’s charging system when the engine is on.
Cooper has big ideas about the technology’s possible applications in architecture and wearables. “The [control board] is the biggest opportunity because the inputs are endless,” he said. “Suddenly, I could [show when I’m] turning left or turning right or accelerating.”
Unfortunately, there are no plans to add this feature to every Lexus vehicle. If you’re into putting a unique twist on your car, you’re just going to have to settle for subwoofers.
