For those familiar with its language, the face reflects much
about an individual’s identity and emotional state. EPFL scientists are
developing a tool that will be able to use facial information to make the cars
of the future safer and more comfortable.
Today’s “intelligent” cars, equipped with multiple sensors
and algorithms, can react to emergency situations, regulate speed, assist with
parking and respond to voice commands. But they don’t know who’s at the wheel
or how that driver is feeling. The face is a valuable source of this
information, and a project initiated by EPFL’s Transportation Center involving
EPFL’s Signal Processing 5 Laboratory (NTS5) and PSA Peugeot Citroën aims to
mine it for use in the automobiles of the future.