• The new ‘Smart Cabin’ health technology controller that analyzes vital signs such as posture, heart rate and brain waves to help drive safe driving.
• Switches to autonomous driving when the driver is stressed and manages the CO2 level in the cabin.
• Embedded technology that applies biotechnology to mobility – to enable the vehicle to play a role as a ‘mobile health check-up centre’.

[Photo] Hyundai Mobis’ M.VICS cockpit system introduced last year helps autonomous driving with the inclusion of several new technologies, including an ECG sensor, driver monitoring camera and motion sickness reduction technology.

Hyundai Mobis (KRX: 012330) has become the world’s first to develop an integrated controller that analyzes a driver’s vital signs such as posture, heart rate and brain waves, the company announced.

Dubbed the Intelligent Cabin Controller by the company, this technology comprises four sensors to measure occupants’ vital signs, a controller to analyze those signals, and software logic. It can be said that the company has developed something similar to an advanced brain that can analyze vital signs that change in real time.

While there are already controllers capable of processing certain vital signs in the mobility sector, this is the first time that a dedicated health controller has been developed that can perform an integrated analysis of multiple vital signs. With this new controller, the company is now on its way to developing safety technology focused on occupants rather than vehicle performance.

Hyundai Mobis hopes that this dedicated vital signs controller will contribute to enabling the vehicle to play a role as a ‘mobile health check-up center’. mobile healthcare technology. To this end, automotive suppliers are showing an unprecedented move to secure experts in biotechnology or robotics.

“Our main competitive advantage is the software solution that is designed to apply health to mobility and the controller that enables integrated control,” said Cheon Jae-seung, head of R&D division at Hyundai Mobis. “Based on the unique vital signs database we’ve built, we will further update this technology to provide more features including motion sickness prevention, stress management and drunk driving blocking.”

The Smart Cabin Controller is equipped with four sensors: a 3D camera that captures the occupants’ posture, a steering wheel-mounted ECG sensor, an ear sensor to measure the brain waves flowing around the ears, and an HVAC sensor to measure the cabin temperature/humidity and carbon dioxide level. The controller analyzes various vital signs collected from these sensors in real-time to help you drive safely.

For example, it recommends switching to autonomous driving mode if the ECG sensor detects a high level of stress in the driver and opening windows, or switching to external circulation mode if the CO2 level is too high. This technology is expected to evolve further to be able to guide the vehicle to an emergency room in the event of an emergency such as cardiac arrest.

Last year, Hyundai Mobis also became a world first with the development of M.Brain, a brainwave-based driver monitoring system, and is expanding its sales activities globally with M.VICS, a autonomous driving cockpit equipped with several new health technologies, including an ECG sensor, driver monitoring camera and motion sickness reduction technology.