Imagine being behind the wheel of a formula 1 car 300 km/hif you close your eyes even for 150 milliseconds – The average time of a lace – About about 12 meters without seeing anything. Don’t it seem much? At the speed of one single -seatemay be enough for missing a braking point or losing the right moment for overtaking. Using an advanced integrated system with GPS and telemetrs data, a group of Japanese neuroscientists studied i blink (eyelashes) of three professional drivers on three circuits (Suzuka, Fuji and Sugo). The research, published on IRCHIENCE and led by Ryota Nishizono of the University of Tokyo, revealed a surprising coordination and synchronization of the blink with the track, with a clear decrease in frequency during curves, braking and accelerations.
How many times the pilots disappoint the eyelids: the synchrony of the blink with the route
According to a recent study published on IRCHIENCE conducted by a group of Japanese neuroscientists has shown that i blink (i.e. the eyelashes), they are extremely coordinated And Synchronized with the route. To lead the research was Ryota Nishizono of the University of Tokyo, together with Professor Daiki Nasuthe neuroscientist Yusuke Yamamoto and the researcher Hiroaki Gomi of NTT Communication Science Laboratories. Their experiment took place on three Japanese circuits (Suzuka, Fuji and Sago) and involved Three professional pilots male, monitored with a sophisticated eye tracing system integrated with the GPS and telemetrs data of the car. Have been analyzed 304 rpm In total and thousands of eyelashes. The result was surprising: The pilots feed the eyelids in very similar track points Between one lap and another, often in the same fractions of a second. Not only that: During the curves, braking and accelerationsor in the most demanding moments of the guide, The frequency of the blink drops almost zero.
To understand how extraordinary this it is, just think that banging the eyelids is a natural, involuntary reflection. We do it between 15 and 20 times per minute to keep our eyes humid and protected. But in extreme conditions such as a race, this reflection It is temporarily inhibited. It is the brain that decides, without realizing it. When the concentration rises and the context requires it, some brain regions – in particular the nuclei of the base and the motor areas – postpone or suppress the beat of eyelashes. It is as if the body understood that at that moment “you can’t even lose a frame”.
Another interesting figure of the study concerns the link between the blink and the performance on the track. When the pilots obtained the fastest lap times, their eyelashes were even more precise and coordinated. In the slower turns or not performing, however, the distribution of the blink was more random. In other words, less beat “out of place”, better performances. This suggests that visual control and cognitive processing have a fundamental weight in driving efficiency. Furthermore, this behavior does not only concern the simple act of banging the eyelids, but also aaccurate management of cognitive resources. Maintaining constant visual and mental attention is essential during a race, and the brain brain is able to “optimize” the time in which she interrupts the view. This not only avoids carelessness, but also promotes efficiency in managing visual tasks and engines that must perform in a very short time.
What a Formula 1 driver sees in the race: the secret of the immobile gaze
This question replied a very interesting study conducted by Sky Sport F1in collaboration with Force India and the pilot Nico Hulkenberg. Thanks to the advanced technology of Eye-Trackingwhich allows you to trace eye movements with incredible precision, it was possible to observe the visual behavior of a pilot during an entire lap of the track.
The experiment used glasses equipped with Five infrared microcamerecapable of detecting every minimum movement of the eye. The results are extraordinary. Hulkenberg, for example, reacts to the green traffic light In less than 100 millisecondspractically over time of a beat of eyelashes. But it is not only the speed that strikes: what emerges is the incredible skill of the pilots in focusing on the future, anticipating curves and overtaking. While the car darts at crazy speeds, the eyes of the pilots are always focused further, towards the next curve, with a vision of anticipation that seems almost a “sixth sense”.
In addition, the pilots manage not to lower their eyes on the steering wheel, focusing only on vital information, such as the gearbox or necessary buttons, without ever distracted. This means that a good part of their decision -making process takes place “in memory”a sort of automatism that develops with experience and intense training.
