VIDEO: SWEAT-SENSING CAR SEATS... WAIT, WHAT?

In a new interior design experiment, Nissan covered a car seat and steering wheel on a sporty Nissan Juke vehicle with a material that changes colour when it absorbs sweat. 

This might seem kind of strange and a bit gross but clearly not to Nissan. The Japanese car company banded with Droog Design to develop the "sweat-sensitive" fabric that they call SOAK to raise awareness about the risk of driving while dehydrated. 

It might just be a marketing ploy to sell more Nissan Juke models, but a 2015 study undertaken by Loughborough University claims that even mild dehydration can result in increased driving errors on long, monotonous drives. 

We have all been on long road trips and there is a lot that can go into causing road fatigue, which is definitely dangerous, but staying hydrated is a wise decision. Nissan is not yet planning on offering SOAK material in its vehicles, but if the material ever did become an option, the fabric turns blue when you are hydrated enough and turns a vivid yellow when you are dehydrated. 

The original innovator of SOAK, designer Pauline Routs, did not plan for the sweat-detecting material to be used in cars. 

"I originally created SOAK to be used on workout attire, but when Nissan approached me with plans to implement the technology in a Juke to demonstrate the technology as a concept in their 'do drink (water) and drive' campaign, I thought it was fantastic," Routs told Dexigner.

Stay hydrated out there fellow Geekers!!