Steering Wheel ECG Sensor Authenticates Drivers, Monitors Health

Tech solutions provider SoftServe has announced a new system designed to use biometrics to authenticate and monitor the health of a vehicle’s driver. It’s called BioLock, and it operates through an electrocardiogram sensor embedded in the steering wheel.

The ECG sensor tracks electrical signals from the user’s heart activity and transmits them to connected mobile devices. While the system can monitor health signals and fatigue, it’s primarily intended as a means of authentication, with SoftServe asserting in a statement that biometric profiles produced by the system are “near-impossible to fake or spoof.”

Overhaul Group, an online commercial trucking marketplace, is considering offering the technology, with CEO Barry Conlon explaining that “BioLock’s driver authentication technology aids our commitment to prevent cargo theft while keeping our driver’s [sic] safe.”

The development is emblematic of a larger biometrics boom in the automotive industry, according to a recent Frost & Sullivan report. And as bigger car makers and perhaps even consumer tech companies grow more interested in automotive biometrics, SoftServe may see rising demand for its BioLock solution.