The majority of new cars are considered to be too artificial and uninvolving, so Lexus came up with an automobile that restores the lost connection between man and machine.
Nowadays, only a select category of vehicles still offer good old fashioned mechanical feedback and pure involvement from the driver, but it’s good to know we can always rely on the latest sci-fi technology in order to re-connect with our favorite inanimate objects.
Lexus, a car manufacturer known for its intriguing technology and concepts, has tried to make this phosphorescent RC-F coupe feel more bionic, by equipping it with a human heartbeat system. Amazing, isn’t it?
The system works by transmitting the heartbeat of the driver to a bespoke electrical system in the RC-F. Then, the on-board system process the data and sends an electrical charge through the car’s panels to the electroluminescent paint, triggering it to pulsate on the body.
In other words, the phosphorescent paint glows when the electrical charge runs through it, displaying the driver’s heartbeat in a real time animation sequence.
The whole projected was conceived by Lexus Australia, together with M&C Saatchi creative agency and US-based paint specialist, Lumilor.
Sean Henly – Lexus Australia chief executive – had this to say: “The heartbeat car also links to another key part of our brand – high performance vehicles – via our F brand, and the emotional response a person gets from a machine like the RC F coupe.”
Well, judging by the video, the woman driving the RC-F Coupe gets pumped on adrenaline and reaches 183 BPMs – 85, or 90 percent of the maximum heart rate – which is a normal “emotional response” … if you drive like a maniac.
Needless to say, from all of the cars I have encountered in my lifetime, this is the most… human.