Smart AC that always blows right on your face
Technology
Ford is working on an AC vent that can follow you around as you fidget in your seat
(Web Desk) - There are certainly good reasons to have privacy concerns about yet another device that scans your face, but it's not all doom and gloom.
Ford wants to use face-tracking to help its vehicles automatically adjust vents and target blasts of AC-cooled air directly at drivers and passengers.
Unfortunately, you may have to wait a while before this feature officially comes to Ford's new vehicles, because the company was only awarded a patent (US 11,865,896 B2) for its 'Vehicle Air Vent System' on Jan. 9, and it can often take a long time for patented features to reach consumers.
There are two main components to Ford's newly patented air vent system. The first are vents that use motors or servos to autonomously change the direction of the blast.
Aside from needing a few extra components adding to a vehicle's price tag, that part is relatively easy to pull off. As The Autopian points out, a similar feature can already be found in the Mercedes E-Class, where the vents can be repositioned using the vehicle's infotainment touchscreen, but only to preset positions.
So hot or cold air is only being directed to the rough area where drivers and passengers usually sit.
Ford's system will work no matter where a driver or passenger is positioned in their seat, and will be able to use cameras to react and automatically adjust the position of the vents and the airflow as vehicle occupants shift or change positions.
There's precedent for this feature, too, as vehicles like modern Cadillacs offer "Driver Attention Assist Alerts" which rely on a steering wheel mounted infrared camera that monitors the driver's face and watches for signs of fatigue and drowsiness, such as yawns and frequent eye blinking.
This technology could be easily adapted to track the position of a vehicle occupant's face, which would guide the positioning of vents.
