You snooze, we all lose!

How often do we hear the words “I’m fine to drive.”? Perhaps more frequently after a party or on the way home from happy hour. We hardly think twice when an exhausted colleague is offering a ride, or when we hail a cab driven by someone pulling a double shift. According to the CDC 1 out of 10 car crashes are caused by drowsy driving in the U.S., and 6,000 fatal accidents are caused by drowsy driving annually.

Safe driving goes beyond just preventing drowsy driving however. Whether it be texting, talking with passengers, or fiddling with the radio, driver distractions are also a leading cause of automotive accidents. If you take your eyes off the road for 5 seconds when driving 55 MPH, it's the equivalent of traveling the length of a football field. Yikes.

To improve road safety, there must be a deep understanding of the driver’s cognitive state, and reaction to the driving experience. That’s where Affectiva comes in.

Affectiva Automotive AI is able to unobtrusively measure complex and nuanced cognitive states from face and voice in real time. Think of it as having the most attentive friend in the world by your side, passing along vital information to your vehicle so it can respond accordingly with various tactics to keep you awake, alert and focused on the road.

Let’s break down how predictive analytics make for an excellent co-pilot.

Feeling fatigued with a long drive ahead?...No problem.

Affectiva Automotive AI is able to monitor levels of driver fatigue and distraction to enable alerts and interventions that improve their alertness. Before you’re even able to nod off, an audio/display alert or vibrating seat belt could be triggered to jolt the driver to attention. It’s like when your mother clutches the door anytime you go one mile over the speed limit, only 100% more effective.

More than just an alert system, the behavioral based monitoring system can actually help your vehicle make the right decision. When sensing driver fatigue, anger or distraction the AI can determine if the car must take over control. Don’t worry, once the driver returns to an optimal state of alertness and engagement, they can take over again.

Don’t let sitting in traffic get you down.

Sick of getting frustrated sitting in traffic at the end of a long day?

Affectiva Automotive AI can monitor driver anger to enable interventions or route alternatives that avoid help to prevent road rage. A virtual assistant will guide the driver to take a deep breath, the driver’s preferred soothing playlist comes on, and the GPS can suggest a stop along the way. It’s like when someone tells you take a chill pill, only significantly less annoying. 

This seat is too cold, this seat is too hot, this seat is just right.

Have you ever had to open your car window to help stay awake?

AI based Driver Monitoring Systems can help your vehicle adapt to environmental conditions, to keep you comfortable, while ensuring you remain alert. Whether it be dim lighting, warm heating, or relaxing music, Affectiva Automotive AI will monitor your drowsiness and signal to your vehicle to make adjustments to cabin lighting, fan speed, and temperature settings based on levels of fatigue.

The long and short of autonomous intelligence.

Affectiva Automotive AI uses in-cabin cameras and microphones to analyze facial and vocal expressions. None of your data is sent to the cloud but rather processed entirely locally. All algorithms are build using deep learning, computer vision, speech science, and massive amounts of real-world data.

Using AI and deep learning Affectiva takes driver state monitoring to the next level. We’re working hard to limit the hazards of driving while distracted to make roads safer for drivers, passengers, and the furry creatures that may be running across the road. We constantly continue to strive to improve road safety through Automotive AI technology, aiming to one day have the ability to measure stress or intoxication and detect and monitor for medical conditions.

Want to discover more about Affectiva Automotive AI enabled driving monitoring systems [must link to DMS page] or become part of the AI enabled vehicle revolution?