Last time I had some idle time on my hands I went browsing in several sites and it was then that I saw a video about an old woman getting mugged in her own car. Good thing though that the mugger was not successful in his attempt and she did not come to any harm. When I saw that video I was really surprised that a person of her age can still navigate safely on the road. She was already about 80 years old. What do you think about old folks still driving on the road? I think this scenario is a recipe for disaster, especially if it’s going for long distance journey. So in order to safeguard aged drivers, famous auto maker Toyota is going in partnership with Professor Ryuta Kawashima, the man who helped develop the “Brain Age” games for Nintendo DS.

Toyota and Dr. Kawashima are on to developing “intelligent cars” that will help aging drivers maneuver their ride more safely. Making the car intelligent is a system that will monitor the actions of aging drivers thereby steer them away from harm. To make vehicle safer they are working on integrating an automatic braking system so that there will be more control over speed if the driver happens to involuntarily step hard on the accelerator. They’re also adding a navigation system and improved climate control. Toyota and Dr. Kawashima are only just starting. At the end they “hope to develop cars that stimulate brain activity so that driving itself becomes a form of brain training”. They hope to set out this intelligent car within 5 years.

When these intelligent cars finally materialize we will be more at ease letting grandma and grandpa drive around town, right?