Nissan has developed a concept for motorists who can’t bear to switch off or mute their smartphone but want to drive without being distracted by incoming calls or text messages.
The Nissan Signal Shield is a prototype compartment within the armrest of a Nissan Juke that is lined with a Faraday cage. Once a mobile device is placed in the compartment and the lid closed, the Nissan Signal Shield is said to block the phone’s incoming and outgoing cellular, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections.
Nissan said the concept is designed to give drivers a choice about whether to eliminate the distractions caused by text messages, social media notifications and app alerts that smartphones receive each day.
If drivers want to listen to music or podcasts stored on their smartphone, they can still connect to the car’s entertainment system via the USB or auxiliary ports. To restore the phone’s wireless connections, drivers can open the armrest to reveal the compartment – which can be done without taking eyes off the road or touching the phone itself – and the phone can reconnect with the mobile network and the car’s Bluetooth system.
The concept works on the principle of the Faraday cage, an enclosure made of a conductive material, such as wire mesh, which blocks electromagnetic fields. When an electronic device, like a smartphone, is placed inside, any incoming electromagnetic signals are distributed across the cage’s external conducting material and so prevented from reaching the device.
Alex Smith, managing director, Nissan Motor GB said; “Mobile phone use at the wheel is a growing concern across the automotive industry, and indeed society, particularly with the high number of ‘pushed’ communications, such as texts, social media notifications and app alerts that tempt drivers to reach for their devices.”
“The Nissan Signal Shield concept presents one possible solution for giving drivers the choice to remove all smartphone distractions while driving. This is about delivering more control at the wheel, not less. Some drivers are immune to the activity of their smartphone, but for those who struggle to ignore the beeps and pings, this concept provides a simple solution in this very ‘connected’ world we live in.”
According to the RAC, the number of drivers admitting to handling their phone in the car has increased from eight per cent in 2014 to 31 per cent in 2016. Users are becoming habitually more tempted to check text messages and notifications as they appear on their phone’s screen, even if they are driving. Nissan’s own research found almost one in five drivers (18 per cent) admitted to having texted behind the wheel.
The cage should be the whole vehicle and incorporation into all new vehicle designs be made compulsory.
Silly idea.
Whilst it wasn’t ideal, when I was a Copper in Glasgow in the 1970’s/80’s, all Police drivers were equipped with an UHF personal radio, a VHF car mounted radio and a primitive, manual, vehicle location device.
It was commonplace to be in a vehicle pursuit, or responding to an emergency call, whilst using the personal radio, the VHF set, and, when the opportunity arose, manually updating the location device. Ideally, with a partner, if one was available, he/she dealt with the location device, but there was then an extra UHF personal radio and a colleague to listen to, which the driver did as we needed as much information as possible, as quickly as possible.
I can’t recall ever hearing of a crashed police car blamed on the use of communication devices. And whilst we were subject to a high standard of driver training, no attention whatsoever was given to the use of comms whilst driving.
I don’t agree with drivers using hand held mobile devices, far less those who have only passed a simple driving test, and I’m certain this daft concept won’t help one bit.
The only thing that might help is isolating the social media and Apps so they are disabled in the car, but allowing hands free voice, and Sat Nav. I suspect, as one commentator has suggested, making the entire car a Faraday cage, with a phone cradle that only allows certain functions while the engine is switched on, is a more logical solution.
Or you could just turn the phone off……..
NAH… People that live with their phone attached to them would simply roll down the window and holding the phone with their arm outside to allow it to continue receiving “info”…
This matter is caused by lack of education, shielding the whole vehicle won’t prevent stupid people doing whatever it takes to keep “connected”.
Makes it a bit obvious to the Police if the phone is being waved around outside the car.
OR…. and this may be too much nannny state, for the UK market insist the software (OS) has built in speed sensor that prohibits all actions if the device is travelling at more than say 5 mph. Yes passengers would need a ‘I am a passenger option’, but it becomes a lot more of a willful and negligent act if a driver (irrespective of vehicle Train, Car, Lorry, even plane!) activates the ‘I am a passenger option’.
The software (OS embedded) if implemented by law could automatically prohibit calls, text and media, beyond SAT NAV basics based on speed and re-enable when the speed is reduced to around walking pace.
My old phone (HTC ONE) used to automatically go into ‘CAR’ mode when placed in the dedicated car dock, which meant minimal user interaction and automatically enabled voice responses and text message reading despite the car not having these ‘features’ in the entertainment system. Alas my new phone doesn’t (HTC was stolen).
Won’t this create excessive battery drain as the phone turns it’s wick up full in repetitive attempts to contact a base/tower?