These days, cars are seemingly smarter than humans, but they haven't stopped progressing. Cadillac has been working on something called a Modus Biometric System and can now also unlock a car by reading your face, but Cadillac isn't the only company making clever new advances. Hyundai has added a fingerprint scanner to the Santa Fe too. Now the Korean company has taken things a step further with its luxury brand Genesis and the GV70. A fingerprint scanner beneath the start/stop button of the SUV allows for digital payments through a new system called Genesis CarPay without entering the usual six-digit password.
This CarPay system allows you to pay for parking and fuel via the infotainment system, but to keep things as safe as possible, there's also a Valet Mode to hide personal info like your home address and contacts list. The fingerprint scanner links to your pre-established settings, so once your fingerprint is detected, everything reverts to the way you like it. As with the Chinese version of the Santa Fe, this scanner can be used to start the car while the doors can be unlocked via a smartphone. However, these advancements aren't as impressive as the tech that the GV70 now offers for rear-seat occupants.
In the ceiling of the car is a radar sensor that is so finely tuned that it can detect, not only the movements of an arm or leg, but even the millimetric movements of an infant's chest caused by its breathing. According to Genesis, this radar sensor has a wider range of detection than a conventional ultrasonic sensor and even tell if there's a dog in the cargo area. In fact, it's so good that it can detect movement behind clothes, car seats, and other non-metal materials. The GV70 will debut this tech when it goes on sale next month, but it will surely trickle through to other models and the Hyundai and Kia brands eventually too.