In October this year, Hyundai unveiled its smallest electric vehicle to date. At the time, the automaker didn’t give the cute EV an actual name but now it’s returning as the mini 45 in a new touching video.
Hyundai has decided to give patients at the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital in Spain at least a few smiles in these difficult times by giving them the chance to ride in the mini EV. The goal of the South Korean team was to ease the kids and make them giggle by using its advanced Emotion Adaptive Vehicle Control (EAVC) system.
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The technology combines information from different sensors measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, facial expressions, and others to create an atmosphere that’s better suited for the driver according to his mood. In this application, it is installed in the mini 45 EV that’s been donated to the hospital and will be used for “the journey from the hospital bed to the treatment room,” which could be very frustrating and nervous for the young patients.
“We want our technology to help improve the lives of our customers in various mobility spaces beyond the roads,” Jinmo Lee, senior research engineer at Hyundai Motor, comments. “We hope the EAVC technology on the minicar will provide a fun, safe mobility experience for young patients and help improve their health outcomes.”
In a promotional video, the little electric car helps an anxious patient to be better emotionally prepared for treatment. The zero-emission vehicle interacts with the kid depending on its mood.
“The hospital is very excited to have such a technology available for kids,” head of the Pediatric Cardiology Department at SJD hospital, Joan Sanchez de Toledo, adds. “This will dramatically change the way patients will face treatment.”