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Datum 2021-09-21
Artikeltyp News

Artificial Intelligence improves road safety

This article was written before our official name change on January 1, 2022 from Mälardalen University (MDH) to Mälardalen University (MDU).

New technology with the help of AI will interpret different kinds of anomalous driving behaviours to minimise  driving-related road safety risks for professional drivers. Photo: Pixabay

New technology with the help of AI will interpret different kinds of anomalous driving behaviours to minimise driving-related road safety risks for professional drivers. Photo: Pixabay

A new research project has been launched at MDH, where new technology with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) will interpret different kinds of anomalous driving behaviours to minimise driving-related road safety risks for professional drivers.

The FitDrive project will design, implement, and test new methods, technologies and tools for monitoring and evaluating driving performance, reaction time, cognitive load (mental exertion), and physical fatigue for professional drivers.

Through a cloud-based Internet of Things AI system, current information about the driver's condition is communicated, partly to the driver themselves but also to the community e.g., police patrols and other relevant units within society's infrastructure – important information that improves traffic safety for both the individual and society.

The technology detects anomalous driving behaviour

In the project, which is a collaboration between ten actors from seven different countries, MDH plays an important role in applied artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-modal machine learning through IoT and cloud-based services. The technology will be used to measure and associate different types of anomalous behaviour of the driver and recognise its most probable cause: drugs, medication, alcohol, fatigue, etc.

“The project will run for three and half years. It is funded by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme and is a continued research and development effort in the field of road safety with projects that were carried out previously by the Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems group at MDH,” says Professor Shahina Begum, Deputy Group Leader.


The FitDrive project group. Photo: Staffan Ehde

The FitDrive project group. Photo: Staffan Ehde

Improves both road safety and working conditions

“FitDrive will have an impact on general road safety, by preventing and thereby reducing driver deaths. This intelligent system will influence working conditions for professional drivers, through a regular check of both their general and current health,” says Associate Professor Mobyen Uddin Ahmed, and Project Leader at MDH.

FitDrive can be installed in vehicles, where it is connected to other technology that a modern car provides; for example, “CAN Bus” which is a smart system used in vehicles to allow different components to communicate with each other.

By initially collecting individual data and vehicular parameters on the normal driving characteristics of each individual driver, various deviant behaviours can then be detected. The collection of data takes place through, for example, sensors, cameras, and other measuring equipment. During the project a separate unit will be developed that can detect and analyse deviant driving characteristics and health changes in the driver.

Can be used for random traffic controls

Regarding road safety for society as a whole, Mobyen Uddin Ahmed believes that there are other areas where FitDrive can make a difference.

“FitDrive could be used for random traffic controls, set up along the roads, where an intelligent innovative screening device can be an effective way to equip roadside inspections with specific tools that with the help of AI can evaluate a driver’s aptitude and increase road safety,” he says.

Global goals for sustainability

MDH conducts research in all the UN's global goals for sustainability. This project is linked to several of these goals.

 

UN's sustainable development goals

MDH is conducting operations in all of the UN’s global goals for sustainability.

Research on the UN's sustainable development goals

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