Hyundai's mini EV has emotion adaptive tech, serves a noble cause at hospitals

Hyundai Motor Company recently informed that it has equipped its smallest electric vehicle ever with Emotion Adaptive Vehicle Control (EAVC) technology in order to support young patients at the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital in Spain. Part of the ‘Little Big e-Motion’ project, the technology allows for young patients to experience the EV even as the on-board AI seeks to provide the best possible vehicle environment based on information it receives.

Hyundai informs that EAVC technology monitors facial expressions, heart rate and respiratory rate, and combines these readings with input from the vehicle including speed, acceleration, noise and vibration. The data is then processed to optimize the vehicle environment and actively controls vehicle systems such as lighting, climate, music and fragrance dispenser.

The Facial Emotion Recognition System uses a camera in front of the seat to identify the child’s emotions in real-time. The Breathing Exercise Belt wraps around the body and its air pockets apply gentle pressure to help relieve anxiety and enable more stable breathing, while the accelerometer, the Heart Rate Monitoring Sensor, measures the heart rate and breathing rate. The Emotion Adaptive Lighting displays green, yellow or red to show the child’s emotional state in colors.

What's more is that the vehicle also blows bubbles to celebrate the child’s progress toward treatment.

Hyundai is leading the development of EVAC technology, as part of an academic research collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab.

The Korean car maker has donated one of these EVs to the hospital in Barcelona and says it will be used to support the treatment of young patients who may use it for mobility between hospital bed to treatment room. This one trip is considered most stressful for young patients but driving in an EV could well lighten the mood. “We want our technology to help improve the lives of our customers in various mobility spaces beyond the roads," said Jinmo Lee, Senior Research Engineer at Hyundai Motor. "We hope the EAVC technology on the minicar will provide a fun, safe mobility experience for young patients and help improve their health outcomes."