| Abstract: |
A relatively large proportion of fatalities on our roads are due to sudden illness in drivers, with the majority of these cases attributed to cardiovascular disease. Being able to detect and manage these sudden events could save many lives. This paper consolidates results from a literature review and three small-scale studies that investigated and developed the possibilities of detecting sudden driver illness by measuring physiological signals from cardiac activity with unobtrusive sensors including single-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG), consumer-grade pulse sensors, and research grade radar technology. In general, the experiments have shown that there is potential for the evaluated technologies to help detect and quantify cardiac illness events, but significant development is needed to implement the technologies in real-world driving. It is challenging to succeed in detecting driver states with high accuracy based on measurements of cardiac activity alone due to both individual variations in heart activity patterns and an environment that complicates measurements, and additional data from other sensors is probably needed. Physiological monitoring of drivers is challenging due to vehicle vibrations, the driver's movements and thick clothing. There is a need for further research and development of unobtrusive measurement technologies to detect driver states. |