Nissan's sweat-sensing car seat could revolutionise driving forever and keep you safe.

Credit:Google Images

The technology, called Soak, changes colour if perspiration is high in salt, suggesting dehydration.

Previous research by the European Hydration Institute and Loughborough University found that dehydrated drivers were as error-prone as those who had drunk alcohol.

There are currently no plans to bring Soak into production.

The sweat-sensitive coating, which was developed with Dutch design company Droog, is also applied to the steering wheel and changes it and the front seats from blue to yellow to signal dehydration.

Credit:Google Images.

Prof Peter Wells, an expert in business and sustainability from Cardiff University Business School, said that measuring additional factors which impede drivers' abilities made as much sense as monitoring factors which affect the vehicle itself.

"This is part of the overall idea that it's not just about monitoring the car but also the driver," he said.

"This particular application is obviously on the edge of usefulness but it shows a willingness to think more generally about these things and find a way forward.

"I'm not sure that way of showing you are dehydrated is going to appeal to many people - but I like the concept."

Prof Wells added that other potentially measurable factors which affect drivers could include their emotional state - perhaps by monitoring adrenaline or hormone levels.

"We are going to get more and more of this kind of thing. Many factors affect our ability to drive," he said.

The development is in reaction to a 2015 study conducted by the European Hydration Institute and Loughborough University, which found that dehydrated drivers behind the wheel are as error-prone as drivers with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 per cent, which is the current UK drink-drive limit.

Of the back of the new technology, Nissan is encouraging motorists to drink and drive – drink water that is. The Nissan-Droog technology was fitted onto a Nissan Juke for demonstration purposes, however there are currently no plans to implement it in road cars. The Soak exercise came about to simply show the world what Nissan are capable of in terms of innovation and safety technology.