Real-time analysis of certain physiological indicators such as heart rate or speed breathing could help detect the onset of fatigue in the motorist. That is why Ford decided to study with a team of scientists all the reactions at the level of the brain in order to anticipate these moments of fatigue and alert the driver in time, in an even more efficient way than today.
The American manufacturer is carrying out this new study on the brain, in partnership with the University Hospital of the city of Aachen, Germany. It is intended to more easily detect when the driver begins to fall asleep at the wheel. The idea is obviously to develop new warning systems that are even more effective than those proposed today and therefore to save more lives.
Here, participants perform a motorway driving simulation while their brain activity is scanned by imaging by resonance magnetic (IRM). The goal is to identify all of the brain’s responses that reveal loss of concentration, whether they are movements peculiarities in the head or limbs, a change in heart rate or breathing rate.
By collecting this data, German doctors and engineers at Ford wish to one day be able to generate “unique physiological fingerprints” for each driver, so that they are intelligently warned at the first signs of fatigue.
Ford has already been offering, for the past ten years, an alert system in the form of a symbol (a coffee cup) displayed on the dashboard which signals the driver that he is starting to show signs of fatigue and that he should take a break.
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