Chinese try to drive car with the mind

Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla are car manufacturers who have more invested in technology and autonomous systems that use computers to drive cars. The Chinese, however, are directing this kind of independence for a free driving hands.

Researchers at Nankai University in Tianjin, China, have developed a car that, according to them, can be conducted only through intellectual resources. The experiment, which was created in partnership with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor, can move forward, backward or stand still even with the 'driver' in the back seat without any physical contact with the steering wheel or accelerator and brake.

The system comprises 16 sensors electroencephalogram (EEG) and must be fixed on the head of the driver. "EEG signals the driver's brain are transmitted through the test equipment to a computer without any aid of cable," said researcher Zhang Zhao told Reuters. "The computer processes the signals, categorizes and recognizes the intent of the people and then translated into control commands to the car," he adds.

The system only needs the driver to pay attention to change the status of the vehicle, as in the case of transit, for example.

As much as the experiment complies with long-term plans, it is unlikely that it reaches the consumer. On the one hand, a car that can be driven by the mind not offer many benefits as a self-driving. After all, human error is the cause of more than 90% of traffic accidents.