Are you tired of carrying around your keys but still want some security to protect against car theft? Well, the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo has the solution for you! TechCrunch reports that the Japanese company has invented a car seat that contains 360 sensors that are able to determine the angle, pressure, area of contact, and other inputs from the person in the driver’s seat in order to identify the owner. If the butt on the seat doesn’t match the butt of the authorized driver, the car refuses to turn on.
The question is whether this is solving an actual problem. While this may prevent a stranger from taking your keys and driving away in your Camry, we’d think that a determined thief will be able to bypass this countermeasure the same as they currently bypass engine shutoffs, alarms, and the like. In addition, the technology reports only a 98% accuracy rating during experiments. While on the surface this sounds impressive, if you drive your car to work 250 days a year, expect to be late five times. There’s also the case of people in cold climate who bundle up for winter. Will the sensors work properly when trying to read your backside through three or four layers of clothing?
Overall, we’re not convinced that this technology will ever catch on in this fashion, but the research team is hoping to work together with automobile manufacturers and mass-produce a product within three years. Maybe it’s time to start our New Year’s resolution early so that we’re not as embarrassed by our butt scans…
Image Courtesy of TechCrunch
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