Detecting Driver Drowsiness – Bosch Develops AI Monitoring System

Bosch has unveiled a new interior monitoring system featuring cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) that can detect driver drowsiness and distraction and provides driving assistance.

A camera integrated in the steering wheel detects when drivers’ eyelids are getting heavy, when they are distracted, and when they turn their head toward their passenger or the rear seats.

The AI-powered system then draws conclusions from this information. It can warn inattentive drivers, recommend a break if they are getting tired, or even reduces the speed of the vehicles – depending on the automaker’s wishes.

Harald Kroeger, a member of the Robert Bosch GmbH board of management, says: “If the car knows what its driver and occupants are doing, driving will become safer and more convenient.”

He adds: “Cameras and AI will turn the vehicle into a life-saver.”

Bosch says the new system may go into production in 2022. In that year, the EU will make safety technology that warns drivers of drowsiness and distraction a standard feature in new vehicles. 

The EU Commission expects that, by 2038, its new safety requirements for vehicles will save more than 25,000 lives and help prevent at least 140,000 severe injuries.