A Japanese researcher has developed what could be the next big thing in automotive anti-theft technology: an ultra-sensitive sheet that, when placed on the driver’s seat, can recognize the shape of the owner’s hindquarters and prevent thieves from using the car.
Created by Shigeomi Koshimizu, an associate professor at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo, the system utilizes 360 disc-shaped sensors to collect data that is then broken down into 39 categories. Based on these indices, which include stress points, contact area and pressure distribution, the setup can create a unique identifier – a bottom print, if you will – that can be stored and used to tell whether an authorized driver or a thief has taken a seat, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
“No additional effort is needed (from the driver),†said Koshimizu. “All you have to do is sit.â€
Although at least one automaker has expressed interest in the system, Koshimizu stated that it would likely be at least two to three years before the system starts showing up in vehicles. There is still uncertainty as to how it will hold up after years of use, and the accuracy rate (recent studies put it at about 98 percent) shows that there is room for fine-tuning. Cost is also a factor – the system is said to run about $900 per unit to manufacture.
No word on how the system would respond to significant weight gains or losses.
