Rider’s brainwaves put them in gear for a virtual drive

by Keith Morgan on Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

Acura’s Mood Roads is a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah.

Mood Roads offers attendees a full-sensory virtual driving experience, using brainwave technology to tap into 30 of the driver’s emotional, cognitive and physical inputs to create a unique environment with landscape, color and music changing in real time to reflect the driver’s moods.

This first-of-its kind application is designed to showcase the emotional elements of a virtual drive experience using bio-sensory feedback. Guests enter a spherical motion simulator equipped with a performance driver’s seat and 30 biometric sensors, measuring 24 integration points including the user’s brainwaves, heartbeat and facial expressions. Once buckled in, guests embark on a journey customized in real time as landscape, color, music and speed all change based on the driver’s mood as interpreted by the biometric sensors.

Mood Roads takes each guest down a virtual road in an abstract environment, bringing to life the road’s curves, twists and turns through the motion simulator, all responding in real-time to the driver’s emotional, cognitive and physical inputs. The visual journey is viewed by the driver as a large projection on the inside of the sphere, accompanied by music specifically composed for differing experiences and other sound effects inspired by Acura vehicles, including the NSX supercar. It is a highly personal 90-second journey with no two experiences being identical.

“The Sundance Film Festival is both a platform for groundbreaking filmmaking and a showcase of innovative film technology, and the Acura Mood Roads experience offers the tech-minded audience a unique merging of automotive and virtual technology they have never experienced before,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president & general manager of Acura.

keith [dot] morgan [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca