Technology Roadmaps for Passenger Monitoring, Wellness & Safety

Driver monitoring systems are becoming integral parts of modern cars driven by regulation, NCAP, and market competition. What’s more, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the commercialization of thermal sensing, contactless health monitoring, and wellness.

1. The 2020s will see virtual in-car assistants becoming “companions” to drivers

Technology developers are advancing emotional recognition (emotion AI) and health monitoring capabilities of Passenger Monitoring Systems (PMS) to improve their performance on driver distraction and driver drowsiness, which are increasingly becoming mandatory by regulation, NCAP, and market competition. Innovation in these domains will progress PMS from accident mitigation to prevention.

2. Driver wellbeing becomes the next key UX in future mobility

What’s more, integrating technologies of predictive personalization for safety, such as active health monitoring with seat-integrated safety systems, with conveniences, such as next-generation voice assistants, lighting, and personalized audio will advance USPs to wellbeing.

3. COVID accelerates timelines for contactless passenger monitoring technologies & next-level cabin sterilization

Automakers & suppliers are investigating ways to virus-proof their vehicles to win customers in the post-Covid-19 market. Post-pandemic demand for superior cabin air filters, cabin air filtration systems, and sterilization devices will gain traction.

Contactless Health Monitoring is becoming an area of interest in this pandemic considering the need for passengers and drivers to be screened while driving. UVeye has developed contact-free inspection systems equipped with infrared thermal sensors that can detect passengers and drivers with potential coronavirus fever through the windshield. Vayyar announced that its 4D imaging sensors will be used by the Israeli government to fight the spread of COVID-19.

4. Autonomous driving creates a challenge for passenger monitoring but a new opportunity for passenger wellness

With the impending type approval for Level 3 systems, drivers will be allowed to take their “eyes-off the road” and engage in other, secondary tasks until they are required to take over again. This creates a challenge to advance technology which can establish the availability of the driver to take over. But it also creates an opportunity for passenger wellness since it could give drivers time back during automated driving modes – about 50 minutes per day according to Audi, hence a 25th hour. What drivers engage with during this time can unlock new revenue opportunities for the automotive ecosystem.

Join our webinar to learn about

• – the timelines of regulatory mandates for passenger monitoring features in major geographies which make PMS an integral part of future cars;
• – how the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the commercialization of technologies such as thermal sensing and contactless health monitoring in modern car interiors;
• – benchmarking of features available in current vs future passenger monitoring systems
• – FutureBridge’s tracker of leading disruptors in automotive cockpits
• – the critical steps to progress to humanized AI, which “senses” passenger needs and provides enhanced comfort and predictive personalization