TU Braunschweig researchers develop driver health monitoring technology

Researchers from TU Braunschweig, the Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics, and Hannover Medical School are developing technology to monitor a driver's health status using integrated vehicle sensors. The goal is to transform the car into a diagnostic space that can detect vital signs such as heart and respiratory rates without interfering with the driving experience.

To achieve this, various sensors are embedded directly into vehicle components: electrodes in the steering wheel for electrocardiograms (ECG), microphones in the seatbelt to record heart sounds, cameras in the rearview mirror to analyze facial movements and color changes, and light sensors to measure blood volume changes.

A significant technical challenge involves signal interference caused by braking, accelerating, and road vibrations. To address this, researchers are using artificial intelligence to perform sensor fusion, coupling biological data with driving dynamics to distinguish between physiological changes and movements caused by the driving situation. While the system is not intended to provide medical diagnoses, it could allow future assistance systems to adapt to a driver's specific needs or recognize potential irregularities.