This article originally appeared on AutoVision News. It has been republished with permission.

Ford is expanding the capabilities of Co-Pilot360 to allow for hands-free driving on more than 100,000 miles of divided highways in the United States and Canada. The feature, known as Active Drive Assist, employs a driver-facing camera that monitors head position and eye gaze. 

Active Drive Assist is part of the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package, available for the forthcoming Mustang Mach-E. Customers who purchase the prep package can add Active Drive Assist software at a Ford dealer or via an over-the-air update expected in the third quarter of 2021. Ford says Active Drive Assist builds upon existing technologies like adaptive cruise control and will ease the cognitive task of driving.  
?The stress of long highway drives remains a huge issue for drivers around the world,? explained Hau Thai-Tang, Ford?s chief product development and purchasing officer. ?By introducing driver-assist technologies like Active Drive Assist, Ford?s version of hands-free driving, we?re allowing our customers to feel more confident whenever they?re behind the wheel.?

How Active Drive Assist Works 

Like Cadillac?s Super Cruise, the Hands-Free Mode of Active Drive Assist lets owners remove their hands from the wheel on certain sections of pre-mapped, divided highways. The infrared driver-facing camera, mentioned above, tracks eye position and head mo...