Racing driver seen with brain waves, concentration is extraordinary

Ford Performance, Ford’s motor racing division, has also participated in Le Mans 24 and F1. Ford Performance has developed a helmet-type device that analyzes drivers’ brain waves in the dangerous environment of racing and is conducting research on what is happening while driving in the racing driver’s brain.

The helmet was developed by Ford Performance in collaboration with the King’s College London research team. Through this, an experiment was conducted to compare driver EEG and Albin EEG. In a racing game, momentary judgment determines victory and loss, and sometimes lives come and go. The driver’s concentration is very important. The research team says that driving requires a fairly rigorous cognitive process, and that racing drivers exhibit a high degree of concentration during competition.

Ford Performance understands that not only the fastest car is needed to win a racing race, but the skill and concentration of the driver can greatly influence the outcome. The research team has developed an EEG scanner that is mounted on the head, such as a helmet, to measure the concentration of racing drivers. The virtual reality racing simulator was used by both professional racing drivers and ordinary people to drive, and analyzed how the brain waves of both sides were different.

As a result, it was found that the racing driver’s concentration power was much higher than that of the general public. It is said to be 40% higher in racing that moves at high speed compared to the general public, as it switches the brain so that it can always show the best concentration in important scenes of racing.

Before playing the simulator, the research team also conducted experiments using methods to concentrate the mind, such as breathing and meditation, marking and visualizing the driving track as keywords for the public. As a result, it is said that the concentration of ordinary people has also increased significantly.

Ford Performance is developing a helmet that can measure the driver’s brain waves in real time during actual racing. Various applications are expected, such as measuring the driver’s concentration through machine learning and checking where more concentration is required in the course with GPS. Related information can be found here .