At the upcoming ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) congress, being held in London from October 8 to 12, SEAT is presenting a León unit which features the latest technological breakthroughs devised by SEAT from research into new forms of driver and vehicle interaction.

After two and a half years of work at the SEAT Technical Centre, this prototype has been developed in response to the European Union’s ambitious AIDE project (Adaptative Integrated Driver- Vehicle Interface). The ultimate goal is to increase driving safety, drawing from available vehicle-generated information to communicate aspects concerning the surroundings, the vehicle and the driver. This makes the car intelligent enough to take decisions that affect driving safety.

The following are a few practical examples of the possibilities featured on the León prototype:

When the driver takes his eyes off the road and the vehicle senses danger, a warning light appears on the dashboard and another warning sound can be heard.

The vehicle emits a warning sound and sends vibrations through the steering wheel if it detects that the driver is falling asleep. If there is an incoming call while inside a roundabout, the vehicle recognises the situation and puts the call on hold until exiting the roundabout.

These are only a few of the several features included in the prototype that SEAT is exhibiting in London. The SEAT León achieves these results with sensors that control the driver’s eye movement and blink frequency, a radar to detect objects, GPS and a specific communication network.