Designing Effective and Economical Vibration-based Drowsiness Detection related to Head Nodding Element

Fatigue is recognized as a threat for drivers, potentially resulting in road collisions. Designing technical systems can enhance safety by alerting drivers to prevent drowsiness. This study seeks to identify the criteria for the vibrator system from the driver’s viewpoint. It has four main phases that integrate three approaches; systematic reviews, survey questionnaires, and experimental studies. A systematic review was conducted to compile previous research on vibrotactile aspects, while a survey was employed to gather drivers’ perceptions regarding the appropriateness of the vibrator system from their perspectives. A set of experiments utilized a car simulator to determine the optimal location and threshold for drowsiness detection. The device system was designed with an Arduino Uno and incorporates vibrators, ultrasonic sensors, and driver’s seat backrests to deliver vibrations as a warning to drivers who doze off while operating a vehicle. Postural assessment and subjective metrics were employed to validate the onset of drowsiness. This study revealed head nodding as an indicator of drowsiness. The questionnaire results indicated that a majority of participants (87.8%) perceived the product positioning the vibrator on the lower back and thighs as more effective in delivering vibrations to the driver. In reaction to the driving experiment, most participants nodded their heads after driving for over 30 minutes at a challenging period, specifically at 2:00 p.m. Upon detection of head movement by the ultrasonic sensor positioned 45 cm from the driver, the vibrator will be engaged to notify the driver. This study is expected to diminish the incidence of accidents attributable to fatigued drivers. This research corresponds with the third and eleventh Sustainable Development Goals.