A non-intrusive multi-sensor system for characterizing driver behavior

Understanding driver behavior is critical towards ensuring superior levels of safety and environmental sustainability in intelligent transportation systems. Existing solutions for vital sign extraction are generally intrusive in that they affect the comfort of the driver and may consequently lead to biased observations. Moreover, low-complexity devices such as GPS receivers and the multitude of sensors present in the vehicle are yet to be exploited to the full extent of their capabilities. We present a real-life system that combines wearable non-intrusive heart wave monitors with a wireless enabled computing platform capable of gathering and processing the data streams of multiple in-vehicle sources. Observed variables include electrocardiogram, vehicle location, speed, acceleration, fuel consumption, and pedal position, among others. Preliminary results show that the proposed system is well suited not only for characterizing driver behavior but also for identifying and mapping potentially dangerous road segments and intersections.