Plessey and Segula Unveil Revolutionary Car Seat with Built-In Heart-Rate Monitor at Paris Motor Show
Plessey and Segula Technologies are showcasing a heart-rate based driver alertness monitoring system at the Paris Motor Show this year. This innovative system, which incorporates sensors into the seatback, aims to provide early warnings of drowsiness or health issues more effectively than traditional systems that monitor eye or head movements.
The new seatback wellbeing system, built using Plessey’s patented Epic non-contact, capacitive heart rate sensing technology, is being demonstrated on a full-size automotive model at Segula’s stand. This marks the public debut of the Epic seatback system.
Alan Colman, Plessey’s commercial operations director, stated, “Our Epic sensor technology has garnered significant interest among car manufacturers because it offers a low-cost, reliable solution for various automotive applications. We’re excited to introduce this groundbreaking technology to the market and to the press and public on Segula Technologies’ stand.”
Epic sensing technology works by detecting changes in electric potential. It accurately measures the electrical impulses of the heart without needing direct skin contact, enabling it to capture precise heart rate data (R peak signals) essential for calculating heart rate variability (HRV). These sensor electrodes can be seamlessly integrated into seatbacks to gather necessary biometric data. This advancement sets the stage for a non-contact drowsiness detection system.
Franck Vigot, CEO of Segula’s automotive division, explained, “At this year’s Paris Motor Show, we’re unveiling Hagora Pulse, a concept car featuring a range of connected driving and health technologies. Among these innovations, we’ve included Plessey’s award-winning Epic sensor technology to monitor vital signs and ensure faster emergency service responses.”
During the event, demonstrations by technical and design experts will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the technology.
In addition to its automotive applications, Plessey’s Epic technology is also used in medical and industrial fields. For instance, their ImPulse capacitive ECG system assists in detecting atrial fibrillation in primary and secondary care settings in the UK. This class II CE marked medical product has been recognized as a finalist at the Elektra Awards and the IET Innovation Awards in the healthcare technologies category.
