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New Facial Recognition Software May Detect Looming Road Rage
cartechboy writes "Well, since we have license plate readers tracking drivers, and GPS breaking down we're you're headed — its probably time for someone to know what mood you're in when you're driving. (Quick hint: often not a good one). Researchers at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have prototyped a dashboard camera that tracks facial movements and expressions to read a person's emotions while behind the wheel. The team has partnered with PSA Peugeot Citroën to create a version for actual cars to determine when drivers are angry — and have high potential for road rage. One challenge for the technology has been the wide range of expressions drivers have when they're pissed. Some people smile, for example. (Maybe as they raise their middle finger.) The engineers are working on future revs to be able to tell when drivers are fatigued or even just distracted." The detection part sounds interesting; coupled with remote kill-switches that some government agencies want, and ever deeper fly-by-wire technologies, it's sounds downright dystopian, though.
Kill switches for when drivers get angry? If you thought gridlock was bad now, just wait until 50 angry stalled drivers are in front of you.
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...and not dystopian for some. I have a friend who lost a brother who fell asleep at the wheel, crashed and died. Fatigue (or at the least, closed eyes) should be detectable with current technology, and could save lives now.
> No, you do not have an inalienable right to act out your aggressions on a publicly-funded highway.
However this doesn't actually look for people acting out, it looks at facial expressions to determine if a person is mad. This may be interesting itself but, I would submit the population of people who get mad while driving is so much larger than those who actually act out their aggression that this is unlikely to be the least bit useful.
This is using the fact that all criminals are found with water in their system as an excuse to monitor people who drink water.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Jee, hyperbole much? Nowhere in the article is it mentioned that there will be any dystopian government interaction. That was your own shitty opinion piece. Its the same crap the article postulates:
Stop it. Please. Those are some of the most idiotic question ever asked. The car wont do anything as this wont be installed in them. Why not? Simple: there are no answers for any of those silly questions that would avoid a legal minefield.
Examples:
Driver is angry and car detects it. So the car notifies the authorities.
- Authorities don't care enough about some butthurt driver to stop looking for speeders which make the county/city/town money. Besides after the 1000th notification of road rage in the first ten minutes of their highway patrol shift they will just turn the damn computer off.
Driver is angry and car detects it. So the car applies the brakes......
- Causing the driver to lose control or a rear end collision. Car manufacturer is sued into oblivion. Camera recalled.
Driver is angry and car detects it. So the car switches the radio to soothing music....
- Which distracts the driver causing an accident. Or the driver can blame a road rage accident on the sudden blast of Michael Bolton which startled them while enjoying a beautiful morning on the highway in bumper to bumper traffic. Car manufacturer is sued into oblivion. Camera recalled.
Not so serious but:
Driver is angry and car detects it. So the car tells a knock knock joke....
Driver is offended by joke along with a concerned watchdog group. Public outrage ensues. Camera recalled.
What's the appropriate response?
None. People will get angry. Its better to just let them scream or pound the steering wheel and let it out and then have a laugh. If it results in an accident and the drivers anger can be directly linked to the accident then let the courts decide the appropriate punishment.
One day, it will be simply easier, less controversial and more productive to mandate all highway traffic to run on auto-driving mode.
Ezekiel 23:20
as someone who has gone through periods of some nasty sleep disorders (so much better since I got some treatment), it doesn't really always happen like that. Generally yes, you lay down, close your eyes, THEN sleep. I do too....now.
However an overly fatigued person, like I used to be, doesn't always do this. I have been mostly alseep and slipping into dream....before my eyes were closed.
I shit you not, this is how I almost ended up with a similar crash. I was driving home alone from a party one night. I hadn't been drinking, but I was tired. I was doing a normal highway speed, in the 70s anyway.
What happened in a nutsehll was I fell asleep and drifted to the shoulder. I woke up and turned the car, glancing off the side rail. How much of a glance? Well I didn't slow down, but the ENTIRE side of my car had a long superficial scratch down the side with a few minor dents. So....I was an inch or two from total disaster.
Thing is, my eyes didn't close. I was entering an open eye dream state and then falling off. I know this because of the disassociated way I was thinking at the time. Litterally, my head was tilting to the side and the thought in my head....and I am not being cute here was actually "Oh look, the road is turning sideways, that isn't supposed to happen.". Luckily then I snapped back awake and turned the wheel but.... point being....closed eyes is not necessarily going to do it.
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Probably they settle for the eye tracking. Sensing distraction and sleepiness would prevent a lot of accidents. The car would alarm the driver or gently park by itself.
Something like that (my emphasis in bold) would make it impossible for most guys to get anywhere in a car in most beach cities. Even worse, I can hear my wife now saying, "Would you keep your eyes on the road! We can't get there if the car parks itself every time some eye candy in a bikini is in view."
Cheers,
Dave
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither safety nor liberty.
Ben
-- Nineteen Eighty-Four
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