turn right ahead

Professor Peter Robinson at Cambridge University is, according to the Telegraph, developing a satnav system that responds to the emotional state of the driver. Apparently a series of processors will monitor facial expressions, hand gestures and voice tone to determine the mental state of the driver and then the satnav will respond accordingly.

Is there actually any call for this? I don't know anyone who wishes their satnav was more sympathetic. Personally I resisted them for years preferring a sturdy road atlas and an able co-driver to navigate across the country but as I make more solo trips now the satnav seemed a sensible investment. I've always found that mine do precisely what I expect them to (I have a free android app on my phone as well as a dedicated device) so why would Prof Robinson feel there is a demand for this technological solution to a non-existent problem?

"I love gadgets like GPS satellite navigation systems but I hate the fact they are so difficult to use, I think they were designed by sadists," he said

From that starting point surely the solution is to develop a satnav that is easier to use or just learn how to use the existing technology? What next? Maps that can determine your stress levels by how hard you grip them?

Of course the suspicious and paranoid among you will look at this brilliant advance in mapping technology as a way of getting another type of monitoring equipment into as many cars as possible .. .. ..