Skip to main content

This company wants to solve the dirty problem with self-driving cars

The Yanfeng Wellness Pod Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ridesharing is a good way to reduce greenhouse emissions while also saving people money. Before the lexicon was changed, it was called carpooling and it started in World War II as a way to deal with fuel rationing. In the mid-1970s, it became popular again because of the energy crisis.

Recommended Videos

Today, it is a reasonable response to concerns about global warming.  There is only one large drawback to ridesharing — other people. Or more specifically, other people’s germs.

Thanks to advances in microbial science, regular people know of even more ways things we cannot see can kill us. E. coli, Ebola, bird flu, mad cow; etcetera. It’s all out there waiting for our carelessness.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors has taken it upon itself to bring people together safely and nearly germ-free. Ladies and gentlemen, we now have in our midst the “Wellness Pod.” According to a press release, “Yanfeng’s Wellness Pod console features a touchpad interface with user-friendly smartphone app control. The slim console with its concealed air vents can be seamlessly integrated into the cabin interior.”

The Wellness Pod utilizes a UV air sanitizer to kill 99.9% of germs. Using the recirculating setting from the vehicle’s HVAC system it cleans the air. The UV Surface Sanitizer cleanses the exposed surfaces while the Smart Multi-Scent dispenser is the first connected platform for a scent based on Inhalió technology. Wellness Pod offers four different scent cartridges, with fragrances that can be individually selected.

The scent dispenser can also use aromatherapy technology to mitigate motion sickness. “Our Intelligent Scent 3.0 technology does not use any spray or oil-based fragrances, as is common in cars to date. Non-liquid, scent impregnated polymers release their fragrance through a dry-air distribution system and natural airflow within the vehicle’s interior, completely free of alcohol, VOCs, or allergens”, Inhalió CEO Keith Kelsen said in a statement. “Artificial intelligence-based firmware collects data on preference, frequency of use and when the fragrance cartridges need to be changed.”

With technology like this, maybe even the biggest germophobes among us could start ridesharing.

John Elkin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Worked for many off road and rally and sports car publications throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Decided to go look for a…
From Paris to NYC, Mobileye will bring self-driving cars to metropolises
A self-driving vehicle from Mobileye's autonomous test fleet navigates the streets of Detroit. (Credit: Mobileye, an Intel Company)

A Tesla in Autopilot mode can ply the highways of Northern California without issue, but when it comes to congested cities packed with erratic vehicle traffic, bikes, and pedestrians, cameras don’t always cut it. Or they didn’t, anyway. After years of testing, Intel-owned Mobileye intends to embrace the madness of the metropolis by rolling out self-driving cars in cities across the world.

On Monday, the first day of CES 2021, the company announced that Tokyo, Shanghai, Paris, Detroit, and New York City will all see fleets of Mobileye-powered vehicles rolled out in early 2021, if all goes well (regulatory issues are still being ironed out in NYC).

Read more
Samsung’s Digital Cockpit is a futuristic concept for self-driving car interiors
Samsung Digital Cockpit

 

Samsung wants to turn your next smart car’s cabin into a digital cockpit. At CES 2021, the South Korea tech giant is showcasing a concept tech that imagines equipping smart cars with both swiveling screens and 5G connectivity.

Read more
To reach level 4 autonomy, these self-driving cars head to winter boot camp
Sensible 4 winter driving

 

Is there a more magical seasonal sight than snowflakes falling on banks of snow under a white sky, the only bursts of color to break up the merry scene being a jolly holly bush or a Christmas robin hopping across the top of a frozen fence? Maybe not if you’re a human. If you’re a self-driving car, on the other hand, that scene is pretty darn terrifying.

Read more