• MSNBC/AP, Thursday, December 20, 2007 2:48 PM

Prof. Ryuta Kawashima, who helped develop Nintendo's "Brain Age" games, is teaming with Toyota to develop cars that help seniors drive safely. Among technologies on the table is one that can determine a driver's driving patterns and curb any dangerous activity, such as slowing the car if it senses the driver is hitting the gas pedal for no reason.

"We envision future cars will be able to monitor brain and emotional activity to back up elderly drivers," says Kawashima, a Tohoku University scientist. Other developments could involve a navigation system and temperature controls that help drivers stay alert, he says.

Toyota representatives are attending sessions of Kawashima's "Mobility and Smart Aging" study group, which he set up in May to discuss senior-friendly cars. Kawashima says some of the technology could appear in cars in five years. Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi says company engineers aren't ready to announce any specific technologies.

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