Formula One is often the testing ground for the latest technology. Keeping with this reputation, the sport will be introducing new biometric gloves in 2018. The main purpose for the gloves is for the advantage that it will give the circuit medical staff when a driver crashes.
The gloves, backed by the Global Institute for Motor Sport Safety, were tested by Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Based on the data from that test of the equipment, the FIA will soon determine the ideal location for the sensor.
The gloves will feature a sensor that can read the driver’s pulse and measure how much oxygen they have in their blood, with the hopes of eventually being able to also measure body temperature and respiratory rate. The sensor is just 3mm and will be stitched into the drivers’ gloves.
The intended purpose of the sensor is to allow the medical crew to begin monitoring the health of a driver after an accident quicker than with the conventional medical equipment used now. The sensor could also help if a driver is not in an easily accessible location, such as Carlos Sainz’s accident in the 2015 Russian Grand Prix practice, in which he was trapped under the barriers.
The sensors could also eventually have additional purposes, like allowing the teams to have access to accurate health data that would allow them to fine-tune a driver’s workout plan. The sensor could also provide the fans with realtime health data, like we have seen IndyCar.
The current plan is to implement the sensors in 2018.
