Driver and cabin monitoring systems: turning compliance into luxury branding opportunities
New obligations and incentives require and reward monitoring of drivers, as well as the vehicle cabin:
Driver monitoring: EC mandates driver monitoring as of 2022 to detect signs of drowsiness and issue warnings to drivers.
Cabin monitoring: Euro NCAP (2022) automakers will be rewarded for monitoring children left in the car and issuing warnings if the situation becomes dangerous.
This has been driving wider adoption of driver-facing cameras, as well as cameras positioned to view passenger seats; both front and rear. The new hardware means additional costs and complexity for automakers.
However, an increasing number see the cameras as an opportunity to offer extra, innovative features. For example, the new Mercedes S-Class.
Mercedes S-Class
MBUX Interior Assist: Using cameras in the overhead control panel and learning algorithms, MBUX interior assist recognizes and anticipates the wishes and intentions of the occupants. It does this by interpreting head direction, hand movements and body language, and responds with corresponding vehicle functions. For example, if the driver looks over his/her shoulder towards the rear window, interior Assist automatically opens the sunblind. If the driver is looking for something on the front passenger seat in the dark, it automatically switches the light on. Merely looking at one of the outside mirrors is enough to allow adjustment, without having to select it first.
Natural hand movements are also recognized, and the driver or passengers can open the sliding sunroof touch-free. Preferred functions can be accessed with the help of the favorites gesture (hand with the index and middle finger spread in a V-shape). The driver and passengers can link personal favorites with the system.
As well as enhancing operating convenience, MBUX interior assist improves safety. It checks whether a child seat on the front passenger seat is correctly attached, for example. Cameras will also be used to monitor the driver’s attention level and issue a warning if there are signs of micro-sleep.
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Joffroy Pirlot