Rethinking Mobility: The Next Step Towards Smart Driving in the Empathic Vehicle
04 December, 2024
Emotion recognition in traffic: The Empathic Vehicle project is developing vehicles that can recognize and respond to the emotions and needs of their occupants thanks to AI and state-of-the-art sensor technology.
The Empathic Vehicle research project is a pioneering initiative that aims to develop an innovative system that equips vehicles with the ability to recognize the emotional states and body language of their occupants. Using state-of-the-art technologies such as computer vision and machine learning, vehicles should be able to understand the emotions, moods and needs of their occupants and react accordingly.
The core of the project is extensive user studies conducted in a variety of settings, from laboratory conditions to real-world tests in real vehicles. That’s why the project team also tried out the driving simulator from project partner emotion3D GmbH. This simulator uses a single camera mounted at the height of the rearview mirror to detect everything in the vehicle. The system can already detect whether the driver is distracted, for example by using a cell phone, smoking or not looking at the road. In addition, the simulator is able to recognize initial emotions such as joy, surprise or anger in the driver.
Driving simulator specially developed for emotion detection at the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien
As part of the research project, a driving simulator specifically for emotion detection is also being developed at the FH Technikum Wien. This will enable targeted studies to be carried out in a simulated environment in order to better understand emotions and their effects. The findings will be incorporated into the next stages of the project. In the next project phases, tests on closed traffic areas such as parking lots and also on public roads are also planned.
The Empathic Vehicle research project shows how technology can be used to make future mobility safer, more comfortable and more human. It is a visionary step towards vehicles that not only understand their environment but also their occupants.
Experts from the FH Technikum Wien (Markus Eckelt, Lena Wurzinger and Benedikt Salzbrunn), the TU Wien (Margrit Gelautz and Raquel Panadero Palenzuela) and emotion3D GmbH (Michael Hödlmoser, CTO & Managing Director) are involved in the Empathic Vehicle research project.
Project partners:
emotion3D GmbH
Vienna University of Technology, Faculty of Informatics
FH Technikum Wien, Department Computer Science and Department Life Science Engineering
Funding body:
Call Tech4People 2023 Funded by the Vienna Business Agency. A fund of the City of Vienna.
Further Links:
Empathic Vehicle – Research project – UAS Technikum Wien
Road safety and UX combined: Empathic Vehicle is shaping the future of driving
Faculty of Computer Science & Applied Mathematics – UAS Technikum Wien
Department of Computer Science – UAS Technikum Wien
Faculty of Life Science Engineering – UAS Technikum Wien
