The car that knows before you do
While driving, a split second error can be a costly (or dangerous) mistake. But what if your car could point out that error BEFORE you make it?
Researchers from Stanford and Cornell University are working on a new prototype system called Brain4Cars that would predict driving maneuvers before you make them. This information could them be used to warn drivers and prevent potential accidents.
Bharad Raghavan is a researcher on the Brain4Cars project. He says developing learning algorithms to anticipate drivers' maneuvers requires a thorough understanding of the many factors that influence driver behaviour -- something the Brain4Cars researchers refer to as driving context.
"It's able to predict your maneuvers 90% of the time correctly about 3 or 4 seconds before you even make the maneuver."
-Bharad Raghavan
Bharad says that the system is able to predict the maneuvers of the driver mainly by tracking facial movements, like where the driver is looking. "It's sort of like an extra pair of eyes... [which] is able to provide you with information you can act on... so you don't end up making dangerous maneuvers."