The Future Is Here: McLaren’s Concept Car is Brain-Controlled and Totally Awesome

Flying cars? Well, maybe not yet, but brain-controlled? Definitely. The boys at McLaren don’t get much sleep since they are constantly coming up with innovations in fields like energy, medicine and electronics. This time, they’ve come up with a single-seat, closed cockpit MP4-X beauty that takes you straight to the future. This car is no less than a prediction of how the racing world will look like in the future.

Its design screams excitement, offering a visual spectacle, but also ensuring protective elements for the driver. Prepare to be amazed, because the MP4-X has solar cells that can be used as a boost or to supplement some of the onboard systems. It also features tire sensors that sense everything and the famous race suit that sends out live bio information to the people that form the team. The star of the show is obviously the fact that it can be controlled with holographic instrument panels or using gestures, all with signals from the driver’s brain.

Shortly, the new McLaren car has 11 key areas of innovation. Here are some of them;

The Powertrain
With electricity being stored and also distributed where it is used and generated – that is, into the vehicle’s bodywork and structure – this car is definitely something else. No internal combustion engine to be found there either, since the MP4-X is using electric power. Thin batteries are incorporated into the structure of the car, and they “gather” the energy from the inductive charging loops that are embedded in the surface, from the regeneration of the brake energy and lastly from the capture of solar energy.
Virtual Logos
You know how race cars are almost completely covered up with the sponsors’ decals? Well, that is history. Now, the surface is a green screen that auto-projects the brands on it. And get this – the projection is individual, meaning that it will show brands according to every spectator’s internet browsing habits and preferences.
Active Aerodynamics
Nothing says “edgy” like a couple of electrodes fitted to the wings of the car that can control the bodywork. Meaning? They facilitate the downforce for cornering and then dial it out on the straights. What is the benefit of this, you ask? The charged electrodes change the air that goes around the wings into plasma. If this isn’t enough, the car is also “enriched” with an adaptive shape-memory alloy that lets them change the shape under certain conditions; this way, the wing can adapt behind other cars. Currently banned in Formula 1 races, this is an improvement to look for in the future.
Driver Technology
With a real-time biometric analysis, the driver’s performance can be monitored, and this way, he can be kept hydrated and also evaluated regarding energy levels and performance. If an accident is to occur, the suit worn by the driver will show the areas of injury or impact trauma. It can also measure fatigue, and all through an overall made exclusively out of smart fabrics.
Ground Effect
How does it pull the car closer to the tracks at high enough speeds? With the venture tunnels situated beneath the floor and consequently, by creating a “ground effect”. That is possible because there’s no fuel tank and internal combustion engine to occupy that space.
Tire Sensors
Engineers can now monitor the tire data and thus prevent a delamination or a blow-out due to the additional wear sensor attached to the existing one. An electronic control unit would give the sensors data and commands and afterwards it’s simply a matter of regulating the pressure automatically.
Chassis
Say bye-bye to damage caused by impact, because the areas that are the most vulnerable are now manufactured out of negative-stiffness material structures. Not only do these help with attenuating the impact, but they also recover to their original properties and shapes. In-car diagnostics provide information regarding its structural condition.
Cockpit
You’ll even find cameras that provide the driver with images from the back of its helmet, and a 360 degree angle, so nothing is too much when it comes to this MP4-X.
The future is here – McLaren has made it possible with its brain-controlled concept car!
What do you think about this incredible car? Are you excited about the technology? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Author Bio: Jason Bekiaris, Marketing Manager at Dilawri’s Crown Auto Group.