Nissan IMx KURO B2V technology monitors driver brain wave activity to improve reaction times when driving

For anyone who now thinks motor show concepts are little more than production-ready prototypes on the whole these days, the IMx KURO is definitely the kind of vision of the future concepts always used to be in the past. [caption id=“attachment_4381315” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nissan IMx KURO concept.[/caption] The IMx was originally unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October last year, and as Kuro means black in Japanese, this new version is now appropriately dressed in a new-look black trim and wheels with an updated grille and new dark grey exterior colour. Of course, despite **Nissan** claiming the concept is “designed to strengthen the link between car and driver as a close, reliable partner that delivers a safer, more convenient and more exciting drive,” the IMx KURO features a fully autonomous future version of the manufacturer’s ProPILOT technology. But rather than this being a completely driver-less car, the IMx KURO also has an intriguing system on-board called B2V. B2V technology is the only system of its kind in the world right now. With it, the driver wears a device designed to measure brain wave activity that’s then analysed by the vehicle’s autonomous systems. The system then anticipates intended movement, which means it can then take actions such as turning the steering wheel or slowing the car between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds faster than the driver could unassisted, while at the same time remaining largely imperceptible. The whole idea is to improve reaction times and enhance manual driving, which makes a pleasant change from the fully driver-less systems so many manufacturers are pursuing at the moment. Other more conventional features associated with the IMx KURO are equally impressive, including the twin electric motors delivering all-wheel drive capability, 320 kW of power, and a staggering 700 Nm of torque. Nissan even claims the battery could be good for a driving range of up to 600 km on a single charge. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a plan for putting the IMx KURO into production anytime soon.