Low cost system detects drowsy driving

Their patented technology is based on steering wheel movements, which are more variable in tired drivers, and is claimed to offer an affordable and more reliable alternative to currently available video-based driver drowsiness detection systems.

‘Video-based systems that use cameras to detect when a car is drifting out of its lane are cumbersome and expensive,’ said Hans Van Dongen, research professor at the WSU Sleep and Performance Research Center. ‘They don’t work well on snow-covered or curvy roads, in darkness or when lane markers are faded or missing.

‘Our invention provides an inexpensive and user-friendly technology that overcomes these limitations and can help catch fatigue earlier, well before accidents are likely to happen,’ said Van Dongen, who developed the technology with postdoctoral research fellow Pia Forsman.

To achieve their results, the researchers analysed data from two laboratory experiments conducted at WSU Spokane.

Twenty-nine participants were on a simulated 10-day night shift schedule that caused moderate levels of fatigue, as assessed by their performance on an alertness test called psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). During each night shift, participants spent four 30-minute sessions on a high-fidelity driving simulator, which captured data for 87 different metrics related to speed, acceleration, steering, lane position and other factors.