For years the link between man and machine has fascinated car enthusiasts, especially with the existence of Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto. Who wouldn’t want to put on their watch, jump in the car and know their heart rate? The idea of it may sound silly, but in reality the fact that such a technology is possible, much less exists, says a lot about the direction in which our world’s innovation is headed. Until now the link that seemed so out of reach lacked significance. Nissan has designed a smart watch, the Nismo, that uses today’s technology to link the driver to the car.
Smart watches have only become extremely popular in the last couple of years, and Nissan was first to jump on the bandwagon when they announced the revela of their Nismo watch. As a prototype, the watch is designed only for drivers of Nissan Nismo model variants, currently encompassing the 370z, the Juke, and the upcoming GT-R. Photos that Nissan had released before of the unveiling of the product at the Frankfurt auto show present the watch in traditional Nismo colors: black and red. The company also plans to offer it in black or white.
Using a Bluetooth low-energy connection, the watch gathers telemetry data from the car, including speed, along with efficiency information, such as fuel consumption. Nissan says the telemetry data will show drivers their track performance. At the same time, the watch will also monitor driver health, such as heart rate. In Nissan’s photo, the watch gives its wearer a warning after noting an excessive heart rate. The watchband appears to connect around the wrist in one, solid piece, encasing the actual watch mechanism. That style looks designed to prevent damage. Charged through a Micro-USB port, Nissan says that the battery will last for 7 days.
Nissan is considering future additions to its smart watch technology, including electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and skin temperature monitoring.
The Nissan Nismo watch concept was display at the Frankfurt auto show this past year, and Nissan still has not provided any information on availability or pricing.
