The AI-Powered Cockpit Protecting Drivers

Overview Taiwanese startup Mindtronic AI specializes in the human-machine interaction in cars. The company is developing a cockpit of the future that acts as an automatic backup for the driver.

Technology augmentation in cars now ranges from simple entertainment and voice control to almost full self-driving capabilities.

But four-time CES® Innovation Award winner Mindtronic AI isn’t just adding to or replacing the driving experience. It’s developing a driver’s cockpit that interacts with the driver at every moment.

Mindtronic AI aimed to enhance driver safety in two ways:

Reducing Human-Machine Interface Complexity

Recognizing that there always seems to be a trade-off between a human-machine interface (HMI) and safety, Mindtronic AI wanted to develop an advanced system that  provides enhanced user experiences while keeping the driver safe.

To achieve this new HMI, the team focused on three main areas:

• Personalization
• Gaze interaction
• 3D animation

Facial recognition and palm print recognition help personalize the driver and passenger experience through the same central panel, and a 3D multi-panel display and biometric-interactive system allows the driver to control devices and see the car functions through head tilts and smiles.

Improving ADAS to Adapt to Drivers

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) still often need human control to switch to self-driving abilities. When drivers are distracted or otherwise unexpectedly unable to drive, these ADAS systems cannot adapt to the situation.

In Mindtronic AI’s platform, a built-in artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled monitoring system tracks the driver’s fatigue levels and looks for signs of distraction or sudden illness, triggering an automatic transition to self-driving systems.

Highway to the Future

AI as vehicle technology has the potential to further redefine driver safety and the driving experience. Processing mass amounts of data through biometric systems such as Mindtronic AI’s, AI is able to determine driver habits — lack of attention on one side, decreased comfort on highways and more — and adjust the autonomous system to keep the driver safe.

In much the same way it aids content discovery, AI can also offer recommendations for close-by coffee shops or better routes based on past stops or routes to enhance the user experience.

Mindtronic AI’s driver-monitoring solution is even being scaled for mass transit in Taiwan, improving driving safety and quality of service for passengers.