Nissan has invented car seats that use your sweat to tell you how dehydrated you are
Getting behind the wheel while dehydrated can be as dangerous as drink-driving.
Nissan has developed sweat-sensitive car seats that turn a different colour if the driver is dehydrated.
It’s supposed to work as a safety feature, as dehydrated drivers can make as many mistakes as those who are over the drink-drive limit.
So the car manufacturer has produced a prototype material which they’re calling Soak, that coats the steering wheel and front seats and changes colour depending on the hydration levels of the driver’s sweat.
A 2015 study from Loughborough University found that drivers who only drank a sip of water per hour made more than double the mistakes that well-hydrated drivers did.
And research from Westminster and East London universities found that drinking a pint of water increased reaction times by 14% in mental tasks compared with those who hadn’t drunk anything.
“Sweat-sensing technology built into a car is an innovative way of highlighting this, aiding prevention by warning the driver directly.”
Nissan is not currently planning to add Soak technology to their vehicles.
