Forget face detection - this Japanese car seat can tell who's sitting on it

[Aussie Revhead]

Who needs face detection when your car can know who's sitting in it based on their rear-end? A group of Japanese researchers at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology (AIIT) have developed a car seat that can identify drivers while they're sitting down.



The way the technology works is pretty simple. The seat is retrofitted with 360 different sensors. Those sensors take into account things like your weight, the highest value of pressure on the seat, and where you come in contact with the seat. The idea is that we all sit in car seats relatively the same way each time, so the seat should be able to tell who is sitting in it, ensuring that the person is the owner of the car rather than a car thief.



While it seems like the tech might be problematic, the researchers claim the seat is able to accurately identify the person sitting in it 98 percent of the time. That's a pretty impressive accuracy rate, but it also means that one in every 50 times the seat would in theory not be able to recognize you, potentially resulting in your inability to drive your own car. It's also not clear how the seat would deal with things like weight loss or gain, the wearing of unusual clothing, or injuries that might effect how you sit down.

The AIIT researchers hope to work with car companies to bring the tech to vehicles as an anti-theft features in the next two to three years.

What do you think? Would you be interested in seat detection in your car?
To Prevent Theft: Car Seat Identifies Drivers Sitting Down | TechCrunch

[Krisp]

thats another 360 sensors that can stuff up, bugger that

[Troy711]

CBFed reading the whole lot but does it have fart sensors?

[87RB30VL]

You'd think that we could use our technology for better things like cancer research or better space travel or something, not some dumb arse chair that tells me I'm sitting in it. Duh, I already know.

[ispeed]

Arse recognition technology? What will they think of next?

[Darren_L]

You'd think that we could use our technology for better things like cancer research or better space travel or something, not some dumb arse chair that tells me I'm sitting in it. Duh, I already know.

I assume it's intended to be developed as an anti-theft device, which would be a worthwhile cause IMO

[vicarious]

CBFed reading the whole lot but does it have fart sensors?

along with follow through sensors

[HERONVY]

so... if you put something on like a seat cover it wont obstruct the 360 sensors?

..

[pow3rslave]

Hmmmm, arse detecting seat sensors. If I put a supercheap hsv seat cover set on mine, will it detect that i'm a bogan?

[Krisp]

Hmmmm, arse detecting seat sensors. If I put a supercheap hsv seat cover set on mine, will it detect that i'm a bogan?

Might even call the police on you

[elmaso]

what if someone clinically obese sits on it?
might not work in america.

[ephect]

Wonder how it would go after a decent dump?

[greenacc]

I'm surprised they need 360 sensors really, but the Japanese tend to overdo things just a bit..
Even if it wasn't used as anti theft, it would be better than identity keys or whatever they call em. effing useless if i drive to the pub and she drives home with the same key. duh.

[87RB30VL]

I still don't see the point. If someone wants to steal your car, they'll steal your car. It's as pointless as those push start buttons in cars, what, is it too hard to turn the key?

[ozrockracing]

I can see how this technology would work...not....remember some years ago, a group of car thieves were reversing sling trucks up the the rear end of cars, slipping J hooks around the diff and taking off with the cars being pulled backwards, the steering locks made it easier for them, because the front wheels tracked straight just like a trailer.

360 sensors rendered absolutely useless.

[Wombles]

What if a owner that has these seats wants to sell the car? Or someone else needs to drive it?

[VZ_SS]

Technology for the sake of technology

[JMP]

I hear that there will be an even more advanced model for the passenger seat that can report back to the driver via a lcd screen installed in the cluster! If your a female it will tell you how well hung the male passenger is and if your a male it will tell you (well you can work that one out)