Eye Tracking: How Smart is Your Car?

We recently posted an article about a study that used eye tracking to determine if driving experience improved the risks of driving distraction. We’ve also posted articles about the hazards of drowsy driving and the use of eye tracking to detect the onset of sleep. Driver safety is a pertinent issue that is highly linked with the eye-tracking industry, as it has been proven time and again that eye tracking is an effective method for measuring a driver’s cognitive state and visual attention. These monitoring capabilities present promising potential for preventing accidents and increasing safety on the road. Now the next step is applying this revolutionary technology outside the laboratory environment. A team from the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (Massachusetts) has begun the development of a project called the AwareCar, which attempts to integrate biosensor technology, including eye tracking, into a vehicle, which serves as a “wellness platform that supports optimal driver performance and improves overall traffic safety.”

The concept is based off a three-part framework. The first is the detection and ongoing monitoring of the driver’s cognitive state. A driver’s performance can be compromised when they face either “under arousal” (fatigue) or “over arousal” (stress). Certain biometrics (i.e., heart rate, brain waves, respiration, and skin conductance) and measures of visual attention (i.e., gaze direction, perclose, and pupillometry), can be used to detect driver fatigue, distraction, attentional capacity, and mental workload.

The second part of the AwareCar system is to include a subtle way to display information to the driver regarding their physiological condition in a way that effectively makes them aware of their state so they can makes the appropriate adjustments.

The final part is intended to “refresh” the driver either by alerting them or calming them as needed to ensure maximum attention and focus on the current driving situation.

The first version of the AwareCar was tested in 2007 for potential use as a platform to collect synchronized biometric data to assess driver states. While there are still years of research and development required for a system like this to become available on the market, it does seem to have a promising future.

Integrating biomonitoring and eye tracking into the consoles and dashboards of cars will add new meaning to the “Smart Car” category. Imagine driving a car that could recognize if you were falling asleep because it sensed a change in the frequency and duration of your blinking, setting off an alarm or vibrating the steering wheel to wake you up.

Driver Wellness, Safety & the Development of an AwareCar

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