Toyota develops health monitoring system to prevent accidents

    Recently, the hot weather for many consecutive days has made people suffer. The orange high temperature warnings in various places are constantly reminding people that the summer season is coming. The hot weather will also lead to an increase in the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. This disease often comes suddenly and catches people off guard. This reminds me of the "most beautiful driver" who was once broadcast on TV. In the case of sudden physical abnormality, he parked the car safely on the roadside and saved all the passengers in the car. His behavior really makes me admire him. However, in addition to admiration, it also triggered my thinking about physical condition and driving safety. Toyota has recently developed a technology that uses the steering wheel to respond to sudden changes in the driver's physical condition, which may eliminate people's long-standing worries.

   This technology uses the steering wheel of the car to measure the driver's electrocardiogram and pulse, and can detect the premonitory signs before the driver's physical condition suddenly changes, thereby avoiding traffic accidents. According to the research results conducted by Toyota at the beginning of development, the proportion of sudden death in the human circulatory system accounts for more than 80% of the causes of sudden death during driving. The key to dealing with sudden changes in human circulation is to master the activities of the autonomic nervous system. This nerve is not controlled by consciousness, and regulates various internal organs of our body. It has a certain rhythm. Monitoring it can perceive possible sudden changes in physical condition earlier.

    Currently, Toyota is working with Denso and Nippon Medical University to develop systems that use steering wheels to measure ECG, pulse, etc. The structure of these systems is not complicated. By installing electrodes for measuring ECG and optical sensors for measuring pulse on the steering wheel, the ECG and pulse can be measured and recorded in real time as long as the driver holds the steering wheel. And by analyzing these data, patterns that indicate sudden changes in physical conditions can be found. When the system finds that the driver's physical condition may suddenly change, it will automatically start control systems such as safe parking to avoid traffic accidents. The development foundation of this series of safety systems comes from the technology currently being developed to use the steering wheel to respond to sudden changes in the driver's physical condition.

    However, it is understood that this technology still has some issues to be improved. For example, the differences in the way each person holds the steering wheel, individual differences caused by age changes, increased skin resistance, etc. Only by solving the problems of differences can the system be universally applicable and truly protect the safety of people in the car.

Editor's summary:

    The technology developed by Toyota to use the steering wheel to respond to sudden changes in the driver's physical condition has broad application prospects. After its technology matures, it can be widely used in public transportation, school buses, taxis, private cars and other fields. It is of great significance to improve the travel safety of passengers and avoid traffic accidents caused by sudden changes in the driver's physical condition. Moreover, as its own technology develops, we can further imagine that it may exert its potential in emergency disease rescue and other aspects, and gain more warning time for people with sudden serious illnesses, so as to truly prevent problems before they happen.