Tokyo Friendfinder
As we’ve seen before, Nissan Japan is actively developing and employing technologies to increase the safety of their vehicles, with a particular emphasis on combating drunk driving and minimizing the impact of accidents. With those goals in mind, the company yesterday unveiled a raft of new methods aimed at making life safer for both drivers and pedestrians.
The first to see service is a modified car hood that will be fitted to certain new cars from the fall. The Pop-up Engine Hood uses a sensor in the front bumper to detect when the car has hit a pedestrian.
If it judges the impact severe enough, the system instantly opens the hood by a few centimeters. This creates a cushioning space between any pedestrian hitting the metal and the much harder engine below.
The other systems are still some way off a real-world debut and were showcased in a concept car as part of Nissan’s Vision 2015 plan to cut accidents in half by that year.
An alcohol-detection system uses sensors in the seats and gear-shift stick, combined with a transmission lock. When sufficient booze is registered in sweat from the driver’s palm by the gear stick, the car simply can’t be started until another driver tries his hand.
Should a drunk driver somehow get things moving, there’s also a driving behavior monitor that issues an audio alert when the car moves erratically, also tightening the seatbelt to gain the driver’s attention.
Lastly, a facial-recognition system uses a dashboard camera to keep tabs on the driver’s alertness. When it judges that her eyes have been closed too long, it sounds an alarm and again tightens the seatbelt.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
Hire us to write for you, consult on Japan tech and more.Click here and let us know what you need and maybe follow us on Twitter for all sorts of Japan adventuring.
12:52 AM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
Permalink
Japan | R&D | Transportation 
Tagged with:
drunk-driving
nissan
safety
Add a comment | More DWT | Get a cool job in Japan! | Follow us on Twitter
Share this story online:
Or try the world's biggest matchmaking site:
Japanese gadgets from Tokyo Zakka! — Perfect gifts for your nerdiest friends back home!
Next entry: Japanese soccer star Shunsuke Nakamura now available as tasty rice topping
Previous entry: Hitachi springs world's first Blu-ray camcorders ahead of schedule
