Vehicle Safety Automation Using Hands off Detection

In the age of intelligent transportation systems, ensuring driver engagement during semi-autonomous driving is critical for road safety. This project presents a vehicle safety automation system based on hands-off detection (HoD) technology, designed to monitor driver interaction with the steering wheel and initiate safety protocols in case of disengagement. The proposed system integrates capacitive touch sensors and microcontroller-based logic to detect the presence or absence of the driver’s hands in real time. Upon detecting prolonged hands-off conditions, the system generates visual and audio alerts and can trigger vehicle deceleration or stop mechanisms to prevent accidents. The implementation emphasizes reliability, low cost, and ease of integration with existing automotive systems. The study demonstrates that hands-off detection can significantly reduce the risk of driver inattention and improve overall vehicle safety, especially in Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous systems.