Hyundai Creates a Car That Reduces Stress While Driving

There are many ways you can add stress in your life. From getting stuck in traffic to problems at work, to money problems, unruly kids or a snoring spouse, stress has become part and parcel of daily living. In fact, many people would say that it's a bit unnerving when things are too "calm" and "relaxed" in their environment. It's like their bodies have gotten used to stress that they need it daily to stay relatively sane. Quite ironic, isn’t it?

You have many options when it comes to de-stressing, but your choices become limited when you're inside your car. Hyundai understands this, so it's making your life easier by giving you your own "therapy" session when your blood pressure and concentration are going out of control.

Meet the Healthcare Cockpit

Recently introduced at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Hyundai proposes a concept car called Hyundai's Health + Mobility Cockpit, or Healthcare Cockpit. This gadget will actually check, monitor, and manage your emotions while you're inside your vehicle. In a way, it's your own "vehicle therapist”, and it helps create a conducive environment for you to increase your focus and relaxation inside your car.

The Healthcare Cockpit uses biometric sensing technology designed to “create an in-car experience to support a positive mental state of the driver”. All the five senses are targeted here for a more holistic experience, which include:

Sound

The Healthcare Cockpit uses audio apps and music to create a relaxing and calming environment.

Smell

The car will pump different scents throughout the entire cabin when it notices a shift in your mood. It can give spray a eucalyptus and lavender scent when it senses a high degree of rage, or it can use cedar or peppermint if it notices that you're getting sleepy or bored.

Temperature

The Healthcare Cockpit will automatically adjust to warm or cool air, depending on your mood and comfort responsiveness.

Posture

It will sense if you're losing your focus depending on your posture. So if you're slouching, it automatically refines the seat to a more upright position. If it senses that you're getting too irritable with the car in front of you, it will turn on the active lumbar feature and massage your back.

Light

The Healthcare Cockpit can also increase or decrease the light levels, depending on how much stimulation you need to remain alert while driving.

While these sound very simplistic, using all the five senses can help create a more powerful sensory experience altogether. They'll create "Mood Bursts" in response to what it picks up from you, and will create a different experience to counterbalance the mood you're in. So if you're irritable, the Healthcare Cockpit will create a sensory experience that will help lessen your irritability. This might include lowering the light, massaging your back, adding natural sounds like waterfalls, spraying eucalyptus and lavender, and cooling down the temperature to make you feel more relaxed and calm.

Customize Modes for More Control

You can also take control of you sensory experience by choosing four modes that will help you become either more relaxed or productive while driving.

 According to Hyundai:

“Hyundai’s health and mobility concepts allow drivers to intentionally shift modes for increased personal productivity or relaxation. Many distractions are inside the car, so the Healthcare Cockpit uses [some> modes to help drivers be both safe and productive without having to take their eyes off the road."

These four modes include:

Enrichment

It will give you a new "discovery playlist" via its audio system. Perfect for music lovers.

Connection

The Connection Mode helps relieve feelings of loneliness and isolation through hands-free mobile chats with your friends and family.

Reflection

This mode helps record all your thoughts and inspirations while you're on the wheel. So you can do a Hamlet soliloquy and have a tech gadget to witness your inner theatrical leanings.

Checklist

If you have a lot of chores daily, then turn on the Checklist mode for better productivity. This allows you to finish your little, daily tasks through phone integration and different voice commands.

Hyundai hasn't revealed when they plan to add this feature in their cars. Whatever the case, the Health + Mobility Cockpit is quite a promising concept, and something that other car manufacturers should also integrate in their vehicles.