Forget shopping, fine dining, or an epic boxset binge \u2013 new preliminary research reveals that driving a sports car daily is among the best ways to boost your sense of wellbeing and emotional fulfillment.<\/p>\n
The study measured \u201cbuzz moments\u201d \u2013 peak thrills that play a vital role in our overall wellness \u2013 as volunteers cheered on their favorite football team, watched a gripping Game of Thrones episode, enjoyed a day of shopping, or took an intense salsa dancing class. Only the occasional highs of riding a roller coaster ranked higher than the daily buzz of a commute in a sports car.<\/p>\n
Working with neuroscientists and designers, Ford brought the research to life with the unique Ford Performance Buzz Car: a customized Ford Focus incorporating wearable and artificial intelligence technology to animate the driver\u2019s emotions in real-time across the car\u2019s exterior.<\/p>\n
\u201cA roller coaster may be good for a quick thrill, but it\u2019s not great for getting you to work every day,\u201d said Dr. Harry Witchel, Discipline Leader in Physiology. \u201cThis study shows how driving a performance car does much more than get you from A to B \u2013 it could be a valuable part of your daily wellbeing routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Study participants who sat behind the wheel of a Ford Focus ST or Mustang experienced an average of 2.1 high-intensity buzz moments during a typical commute; this compared with an average of 3 buzz moments while riding on a roller coaster, 1.7 while on a shopping trip, 1.5 each while watching a Game of Thrones episode or a football match, and none at all while salsa dancing or fine dining.
For the research,<\/p>\n
Ford took one Focus and worked with Designworks to create the Buzz Car. From concept, design, and installation to software development and programming, the Buzz Car took 1,400 man-hours to create. Each \u201cbuzz moment\u201d experienced by the driver \u2013 analyzed using a real-time \u201cemotional AI\u201d system developed by leading empathic technology firm Sensum \u2013 produces a dazzling animation across almost 200,000 LED lights integrated into the car. The Buzz Car also features:<\/p>\n
High-performance Zotac VR GO gaming PC
110 x 500-lumen daylight-bright LED light strips
82 display panels with 188,416 individually addressable LEDs<\/p>\n
Driver state research
Researchers at the Ford Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, are already looking into how vehicles can better understand and respond to drivers\u2019 emotions. As part of the EU-funded ADAS&ME project, Ford experts are investigating how in-car systems may one day be aware of our emotions and levels of stress, distraction, and fatigue \u2013 providing prompts and warnings could even take control of the car in emergencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think driving should be an enjoyable, emotional experience,\u201d said Dr. Marcel Mathissen, a research scientist at Ford of Europe. \u201cThe driver-state research Ford and its partners are undertaking are helping to lead us towards safer roads and \u2013 importantly \u2013 healthier driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Activity Buzz Moments *
Roller Coaster 3
Driving 2.1
Shopping 1.7
Game of Thrones 1.5
Football Game 1.5
Salsa Dancing 0
Dining 0
* Average number of high-intensity buzz moments per participant<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Forget shopping, fine dining, or an epic boxset binge \u2013 new preliminary research reveals that driving a sports car daily is among the best ways to boost your sense of wellbeing and emotional fulfillment. The study measured \u201cbuzz moments\u201d \u2013 peak thrills that play a vital role in our overall wellness \u2013 as volunteers cheered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"1","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_extra_hide_author_box":"1","_extra_featured_post":"","_partner_post_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n