Jaguar Land Rover's New Safety Tech Aims To Steer Drivers In The Right Direction

• Jaguar funds Sensory Steering Wheel research by Glasgow University.
• Thermal cues used on both sides of the steering wheel to increase driver awareness.
• Potential future applications of new tech include indication of low fuel among others.
• System to be used in future autonomous vehicle applications.

Jaguar Land Rover is looking into a revolutionary new steering wheel concept which could help reduce accidents caused by driver distraction. Researched by Glasgow University, this new ‘sensory steering wheel’ uses heated or cooled points on the steering to inform drivers on upcoming turning points, lane changing  and warnings of approaching junctions.

According to Jaguar Land Rover’s research, driver distraction is one of the major contributors to road accidents. In the USA alone, it causes 10 per cent of all fatal crashes. Their research believes that thermal cues on the steering wheel could potentially reduce driver distractions on the road by reducing the time they take their eyes off the road.

This sensory technology works using thermal sensors on both sides of the steering wheel. The sensors will indicate turning directions by rapidly increasing or decreasing temperatures by a difference of 6 degrees celsius or whichever temperature the driver adjusts for comfort. This technology will also be applied to gear-shift paddles in future autonomous vehicles to indicate when the system handover from driver to autonomous mode is complete.

According to Jaguar Land Rover’s research, this thermal cues technology is capable of many applications such as alerting drivers about low fuel and upcoming points of interest. The system also aims to reduce disturbances to the driver caused by feedback features that use vibrations as well as annoying audio cues for low priority applications.

Current Jaguar and Land Rover models already offer various driver assistance and safety features like traffic sign recognition technology, park assist and a next-gen HUD on the Range Rover Velar. The sensory steering wheel adds to the growing list of safety tech Jaguar and Land Rover will offer in their cars to make them safer in the future.

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