As car makers strive to gain competitive edge, they are increasingly implementing Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous features in vehicles. These features improve comfort and the overall driving experience but Nick is quick to point out that these advanced vehicles still rely on a human driver, “These Level 2 cars only are so capable and you don’t want the driver deciding to climb in the back seat and take a nap. It’s fine for the driver to have his hands off the wheel, but the driver has to remain attentive because the car isn’t capable of handling any situation that might arise, even in the modality it’s designed for, like driving on a freeway.”

Nick highlights that privacy concerns result in a reluctance from automakers to record and store any video. However, the feedback from them is that they will need effective DMS to understand the state of the driver and support increasingly sophisticated autonomous systems. Alternative, non-camera-based, monitoring methods do not provide a true picture of the state of the driver explains Nick, “…there are videos of people asleep at the wheel with their hands on the wheel, which proves that ‘hands on wheel’ is a wholly insufficient measure of the attentiveness of the driver.”

“Ultimately, driver-monitoring systems would appear to be a no-brainer for any automaker looking to make good on its bid to improve road safety,” concludes Freddie Holmes.

Click to read the full article from Automotive World.

Canberra, 28 February 2020