The Car Seat That Recognizes You

Seat Memory Technology Coming to America? 

The car seat of the future may be here soon.  Japanese engineers are working on a seat that operates based on how you sit. Not only could this be a great security measure but also incredibly convenient.  

Here's how it works: A sensor beneath the driver's seat measures pressure at 360 points. The pressure at each point, measured on a scale from 0 to 256, is output to a laptop computer.

In lab tests, the system was able to distinguish six different individuals with 98 percent accuracy.  

In terms of safety, this could prevent a thief from driving off in your car based purely on how he/she sits on your seat.  This could also lead to the elimination of airplane tickets.  Simply sit down and the seat will know if it's your seat or not.  

The same engineers are also testing the same idea on foot pedal pressure.

When will we see it?  Members of the Japanese Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology say it could be in cars within 2-3 years.  The biggest hurdle is now getting an automaker to sign on.  

So this could mark a major shift in manufacturing should it catch on.  Either way it could be pretty cool. Stay tuned for further developments.