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18 February, 2022

How Interior Sensing Technology Leads The Way to Safer Roads

As a member of both CLEPA and the Tier 2 group, Smart Eye is helping Euro NCAP formulate the tests and assessment protocol which will be used to rate Driver Monitoring Systems by 2023. And with our 20+ years of experience developing Driver Monitoring System software for the automotive industry, we know what separates a mediocre system from a really good system.

That is why we feel confident that our Driver Monitoring solution is fully prepared to be tested by Euro NCAP–and receive a top rating. Our AI-powered driver monitoring technology includes the most advanced eye tracking available and delivers accurate, reliable results independent of illumination or face conclusion.

At Smart Eye, we have always been guided by our ambition to improve road safety and save lives through technology. The inclusion of Driver Monitoring technology in Euro NCAP’s next assessment protocol is an initiative that has the potential to save thousands of lives every year. 

And if you ask us, the sooner Driver Monitoring Systems become a natural part of every new European vehicle, the better.

 

Beyond DMS: What’s Next for Euro NCAP?

By including Driver Monitoring in the next assessment protocol, Euro NCAP acknowledges the importance of analyzing not just the state of the car, but the people within it. By turning cameras and sensors inwards, to the entire cabin, the safety and comfort of all road users can be improved.

These emerging technologies are called Interior Sensing and will likely be recognized by Euro NCAP in future iterations of the protocol. For example, from 2022, Euro NCAP will be rewarding points for Child Presence Detection, which can detect a child alone in a car and alert the owner or emergency services to avoid heatstroke fatalities. The same technology can be used for Pet Detection, to avoid heatstroke fatalities in pets left behind in vehicles.

Smart Eye has been delivering AI-based Driver Monitoring software to the automotive industry for two decades. Through the recent acquisition of Emotion AI pioneer Affectiva, Smart Eye will further expand our DMS to deliver advanced Interior Sensing technology. Apart from enabling

Child Presence Detection and Pet Detection, this new generation of Interior Sensing technology will address future safety requirements, like Passenger Position or Seatbelt Detection.

Distraction and drowsiness are among the greatest road safety risks, responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths every year. This has been well-known for years, but it’s only recently that authorities and road safety organizations have really started to lift the importance of Driver Monitoring Systems for preventing traffic accidents. And out of these organizations, Euro NCAP is one of the most influential. Considering the impact Euro NCAP has on the European car market, the inclusion of Driver Monitoring in their assessment protocol is bound to make a real difference for the use of driver monitoring on European roads. By 2023, in just two short years,  Driver Monitoring will practically be a requirement for any new car model launched on the European market.

We sometimes compare the view on driver monitoring systems to how the seatbelt was viewed 50 years ago. When the seatbelt was launched, some people reacted with skepticism. It was seen as an inconvenience and an unnecessary cost. Now, no car manufacturer would think to launch a car model without seatbelts. Not only because it’s a legal requirement, but because very few people would feel safe driving without one.

We believe Driver Monitoring Systems will follow the same pattern. Give it a few years, and the risk of a driver falling asleep behind the wheel will seem like a thing of the past. And even short term, any money car manufacturers invest into driver monitoring systems will be earned back in terms of a higher safety rating from Euro NCAP and, most importantly, less injuries and deaths in their cars.

 

Learn more in our latest e-book: Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) The Next Seatbelt

 

Learn more about Smart Eye Automotive Solutions.

Written by Ashley McManus
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