News & Updates

Hyundai reveals new technology to assist hearing-impaired drivers

Hyundai Motor Group has revealed a new innovative technology that assists hearing-impaired drivers by replacing sounds with visual or touch-based cues, and using advanced sensor and artificial intelligence technology to help them ‘hear’ the traffic around them. 

 The technology employs two separate driving assist systems that work together simultaneously – the Audio-Visual Conversion (AVC) and Audio-Tactile Conversion (ATC). They use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze sound patterns outside the car, and then use vibrations of the steering wheel and pictograms displayed via the head-up display (HUD) to alert the driver and explain what the system can hear. The steering wheel is also equipped with multi-colored LEDs which indicate navigational information while driving. 

 For example, the technology could alert the driver of emergency vehicles by recognizing the sound of a siren, vibrating the wheel as an alert and displaying the appropriate pictogram on the HUD. It also translates data from vehicle sensors – such as when reversing – so the driver knows how far the car is from obstacles without relying on the warning chime. 

 Hyundai demonstrates the technology in a campaign video called ‘Quiet Taxi’. The campaign video, along with the technology itself, emphasizes the value of ‘freedom of mobility,’ demonstrating Hyundai’s efforts to enable the hearing-impaired to drive freely and safely using state-of-the-art innovative developments. As part of its goal, Hyundai also developed an application that enables communication between passengers and drivers who are hearing-impaired. The documentary follows Daeho Lee, Seoul’s first ever designated hearing-impaired taxi driver, as he uses the driving assist technology.