JLR showcases new monitoring system at CES

Jaguar Land Rover with Intel and Seeing Machines have joined forces to develop a new sensing technology termed - the Driver Monitor System (DMS). This new technology monitors the driver's face and eyes in an effort to reduce distracted hazardous driving. The British automaker demonstrated this new technology in a Jaguar F-Type prototype at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The carmaker states that DMS uses attention-monitoring sensors in the dashboard to detect eye and facial movements to identify when the driver has become inattentive, due to drowsiness or distraction. JLR claims that the system’s design is sophisticated enough to understand the state of the driver in real-world conditions, including bright sunlight and if the driver is wearing glasses or sunglasses.

Commenting on this technology, Wolfgang Ziebart, Jaguar Land Rover Engineering Director, said, "The attention-monitoring technology we are showcasing at CES has huge potential for road safety. If the driver's gaze moves towards the infotainment screen or out of a side window, and the car identifies this, then the system could alert the driver to hazards earlier. DMS could even enhance settings in safety systems like Autonomous Emergency Braking, to reflect the driver's lack of attention. As the car drives up to a hazard, the brakes could engage autonomously sooner because the car realises the driver has not seen the danger ahead."

Jaguar Land Rover is currently researching a next-generation heads-up display that could utilise the full width of the windscreen to display right information to the driver at the right time, without having him to take his eyes off the road.