New Patent Could Allow Drivers to Control the Car with Their Brain

The more technology continues to evolve, the closer and closer the devices we could only imagine in movies start to become a reality. That’s where a patent by Ford comes in that could theoretically allow the driver to control a vehicle using only the power of their mind.

Even though we already use our brains to control our hands and feet when maneuvering a car, this patent suggests that future owners will be able to forego the use of appendages on future vehicles.

According to the patent, drivers would use Brain Machine Interface (BMI) to provide commands to a car’s computer using only brain activity. BMI technology is currently being used with the development of robotic prosthetics, allowing paraplegics to perform basic motor functions.

“Traditional chassis control inputs, such as steering wheel, brake and driver state monitoring sensors can calculate input but often cannot well predict intent.” The patent goes on to say, “The BMI may monitor motor cortex activity to identify when a muscular movement is imminent, such as the movement of the arms to grasp the steering wheel. This combination would enable faster and more precise intent calculation.”

Granted there are bound to be a lot of trial-and-error tests to do before introducing this technology to the public. In the meantime, we’ll have to resume driving the old-fashioned way.