Autonomous vehicle safety first: Notes from AWARE2ALL workshops

Autonomous vehicle safety first: Notes from AWARE2ALL workshops

The AWARE2ALL project, a European Union-funded initiative, is on a mission to keep roads safe by developing technologies that improve the interactions between highly automated vehicles (HAVs) and human-driven vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. 

As part of AWARE2ALL’s commitment to autonomous vehicle safety, it sponsored technology workshops in Paris in mid-September and late October. These workshops were attended by Europe-based companies, including workshop host IRT SystemX (France), gestigon - a Valeo brand (Germany), Vicomtech (Spain), TNO (Netherlands), and SYRMIA , an HTEC Company (Serbia).  

HTEC took part in the workshops covering pivotal technologies such as sensors, driver monitoring system (DMS), and human-machine interfaces (HMIs). 

In addition to the workshops, HTEC, via its acquired subsidiary, Syrmia, partnered with IRT SystemX to develop a demonstrator called “iHMI, OMS and Active Safety – Driver Available Hybrid Prototype” . The prototype — which is still undergoing testing — assesses how internal HMIs and DMSs work together to monitor the vehicle’s environment and the driver’s behavior to send messages to the driver about car speed, weather conditions, the proximity of pedestrians, and other scenarios.  

 Watch this short video for more details on the four demonstrators showcased at the AWARE2ALL workshops (HTEC’s demonstrator is #3 in the video).  

HTEC domain experts — Goran Ferenc (Senior Research Lead) and Dragoje Timotijevic (Automotive Software Engineer) — played a key role in leading the demo and actively participated in the AWARE2ALL workshops to gather insights about autonomous vehicle safety.  

Here are Goran and Dragoje’s highlights from the AWARE2ALL workshops:   

Workshop #1: The power of sensors in autonomous driving  

The first series of workshops, which took place September 17-20, centered on the importance of integrating sensor technologies into HAVs.     HAVs use a mix of different sensors — cameras, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and ultrasonic sensors — to help vehicles detect obstacles, keep a safe distance from other vehicles, and adapt to traffic conditions. Sensors located inside the car monitor driver health and behavior. 

According to Goran Ferenc, the September workshops focused on the following sensor-related activities: 

  • Driver identification: Facial recognition cameras and biometric sensors make sure only authorized individuals can operate the vehicle. 

  • Gaze estimation: Eye-tracking cameras determine if a driver is distracted and will take control if the driver’s eyes stray from the road too long. 

  • Hands-on/off detection: Steering wheel sensors monitor if the driver’s hands are on or off the wheel and prompt the driver to regrip the wheel. 

  • Haptic seat feedback: Haptic sensors in seats give vibrational alerts to drivers about road hazards or changes in traffic. 

  • Cognitive workload: Cameras track eye movements and blink rate for signals that a driver is distracted or tired. 

  • Driver health: Sensors monitor heart rate and respiration, and if abnormalities are detected, the HAV will alert the driver or even pull the car over. 

  • SCANeR Studio: SCANeR Studio is an autonomous driving simulation platform that integrates sensor data to test HAVs in virtual driving environments.    

“Sensor technologies are essential for autonomous systems to make safe, context-sensitive decisions and transition smoothly between automated and manual control when necessary.”   — Goren Ferenc, Senior Research Lead at HTEC 

 Workshop #2: Situational awareness for autonomous vehicle safety 

The second workshop, taking place on October 31 in Paris, shifted focus from sensor technologies to the broad theme of situational awareness.  

Goran said the workshops covered technologies that support the following activities: 

  • Situational awareness: HAVs achieve situational awareness by combining sensor data, V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication, and machine learning (ML) to understand a vehicle’s surrounding environment (road conditions, traffic signs, pedestrians). 

  • Risk assessment: HAVs use predictive analytics models to assess risk by mining sensor data to anticipate lane changes or potential collisions. 

  • Decision-making: HAVs combine control algorithms and ML to determine the safest actions to take and learn how to respond to turns, lane switches, and speed adjustments. 

  • Transition of control: Transitioning from HAV to the driver, or vice versa, depends on DMSs that track driver focus and hand positioning and adaptive HMIs that send alerts when the vehicle senses it needs to take control. 

  • Adaptive internal HMI: Adaptive internal HMIs tailor notifications based on the driver’s behavior. For instance, if a driver appears tired or distracted, the HMI will increase the frequency or intensity of alerts. 

“The workshops marked a significant step forward in bringing driver-centered autonomous technology to life and setting the stage for real-world testing.”   — Goren Ferenc   

The importance of driver monitoring, HMI, and continuous testing 

The most significant technologies discussed at the AWARE2ALL workshops, according to Goran, were DMSs and adaptive HMI technology. 

These technologies were at the core of the “Demonstrator 3” prototype led by HTEC and IRT SystemX. The prototype features an internal HMI that dynamically adapts messages to drivers. These HMIs allow autonomous vehicles to make instant adjustments based on real-time driver data. 

As the world slowly transitions to autonomous vehicles, real-time monitoring of driver behavior and smooth transitions between humans and HAVs, both of which are powered by DMS and HMI, will be critical for autonomous vehicle safety, says Goran. 

Goran’s more general takeaway from the AWARE2ALL workshops is that the cutting-edge technologies on display need continuous testing to ensure that autonomous vehicles make safe, context-sensitive decisions on roads in the real world.  

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Driving forward with a commitment to autonomous vehicle safety 

HTEC’s participation in the AWARE2ALL workshops and its leading role in the prototype demonstrator underscores the company’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of driver monitoring and situational awareness in autonomous driving. 

Goran says the team is excited to continue building its hybrid prototype into a working protocol in the next few weeks. The team will start testing the prototype with real users in January 2025 as part of the AWARE2ALL project. Testing will take place at the IRT SystemX driving simulator facility in Paris and will assess different autonomous driving scenarios for feedback about potential blind spots in a vehicle’s HMI and decision-making process.  

The goal of prototype testing, according to Goran, is to continually refine the perception systems, decision-making algorithms, HMI and safety mechanisms that ensure HAVs operate safely and efficiently in the real world. 

Summing up his overall AWARE2ALL experience, Goran said: 

 “The AWARE2ALL project is not just advancing autonomous technology; it’s pioneering a new era of driver-centric safety in the automotive industry.” 

Are you ready to drive the future of autonomous vehicle safety? Connect with an HTEC expert. 

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