Development of a Physiological Measuring System for the Evaluation of Drowsiness during Driving Vehicle

Abstract

Early detection of drowsiness at the wheel is important to prevent traffic accidents. This study is performed by analyzing physiological responses of drivers. EEG, electrodermal activity and blinking are measured in the experiments using driving simulators and those obtained by the driving test on a circuit. An analysis of the pattern changes in skin impedance and blinking is found to be useful for the evaluation of the human arousal level. A system for real-time evaluation based on skin impedance changes is also developed. The system consists of a skin impedance monitor and a personal computer that can be installed in a car. It displays the observed arousal level every 15 seconds, and is a useful tool to evaluate the present arousal level of drivers.