New car interior lighting getting drivers 'in the mood'

New car interior lighting getting drivers 'in the mood' Driver-to-driver communication, long limited to a hand-wave — or the odd hand gesture — is getting a colourful boost, thanks to ambient interior lighting that can change to match a commuter's emotions. Anxiety? Green could help slow the production of stress hormones. "Ice blue is used in the control panel, as research shows it's the most effective colour for relaying critical information to drivers," says Francesca Montini, global quality and design communications manager at Ford. "If you're getting drowsy, you can just change the interior lighting to stimulate the brain. That the technology is child-pleasing doesn't hurt, either. Mahendra Dassanayake, technical leader for design at Ford, explains that certain levels or combinations of light activate enzymes in the brain, and that those enzymes cause the emotional responses that we recognize as stress, happiness, relaxation and so on. Ford is hardly alone in its enlightening endeavour. He notes, for example, that the flashy new Boeing 787 Dreamliner features LED lighting with colours that can simulate day or night to ease time-zone adjustments for passengers on long-haul flights. The result is a unique driving environment that's in harmony with the emotions of the driver. "At first, I thought it was a wacky sales pitch. Thrilled by the open road? Swap to red to enhance feelings of invigoration. The American automaker attempts to leverage this process for safety by using ambient interior vehicle colours to either enhance or trigger certain states. Timothy Gilbert, a leading expert on car culture, describes the trend as automakers' attempt to simultaneously improve vehicle interiors, enhance safety, and increase customization. "One downfall to the car's mood lights is that the button is inside the front console," says Mackie. New car interior lighting getting drivers 'in the mood' Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 10/03/2012