Automaker Kia’s new AI system adjusts its car’s interiors to rider’s emotions

Automobile manufacturer Kia recently announced that it has been prepping up to show off its autonomous car the CES 2019 that can tailor and adapt to passenger’s emotions.

The South-Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors made an announcement last week about its AI-based Real-time Emotion Adaptive Driving System (R.E.A.D.) that can adapt vehicle interiors to a passenger’s emotional state.

The system works through sensors that monitor passenger’s facial expressions, heart rate and electrodermal activity. Based on its readings, the system personalizes the cabin interior based on all the five sensors.

Engadget explained, the R.E.A.D. system includes music-responses vibration seats that match the seat vibrations to the frequencies of whatever music is being played in the cabin. The seats can also provide massages and haptic alerts connected to the car’s driver-assist system.

Moreover, Kia will also show off the V-Touch gesture control technology that makes use of a 3D camera for tracking eye and finger motions and lets passengers to manage in-car features such as lighting, air-conditioning and entertainment systems without requiring physical buttons or touchscreens.

Additionally, Kia will demonstrate this system, alongside a four-wheel electric cycle SEED Car concept, as CES 2019 with one-person, two-person, and four-person cockpits. Kia’s parent company Hyundai Motor Group’s head of research and development Albert Biermann said, “Kia considers the interactive cabin a focal point for future mobility, and the R.E.A.D. System represents a convergence of cutting-edge vehicle control technology and AI-based emotional intelligence.

“The system enables continuous communication between driver and vehicle through the unspoken language of ‘feeling’, thereby providing an optimal, human-sense oriented space for the driver in real-time,” he added.