When autonomous vehicles began to look more promising, many companies started to consider how this could revolutionise taxi and ride sharing industries.

But COVID-19 has totally disrupted this concept because of a fear of getting into a vehicle that others might have contaminated.

Gentex engineers are now tackling this public-health issue of vehicle-cabin cleanliness.

Dr Lydia Bourouiba, an associate professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specialising in fluid dynamics has reported that COVID-19, can be disbursed through laughing, yelling, sneezing and simply talking. A sneeze can unleash a turbulent cloud of micron-sized droplets at velocities of 100 ft/sec and travel up to 8m.

Possible solutions including smoke-detection devices that use optical electronics to look for particulates; Gentex-designed-and-built cameras; light sensors; nanomaterials capable of sensing health threats to driver and/or passengers and, all of which can be analysed with the help of artificial intelligence.