Invention! New in-vehicle AI algorithm can spot drunk drivers

There are good and bad parts of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as there are with everything. However, today's blog is about a GOOD Aspect of AI and how it can be used to get drunk drivers off the road and stop them from endangering lives.

(Image: https://www.muhealth.org/our-stories/ways-prevent-drinking-and-driving) 

New in-vehicle AI algorithm can spot drunk drivers by constantly scanning their faces for signs of intoxication

By Drew Turney LIVE SCIENCE, July 15, 2024

An in-vehicle camera can continuously watch you for signs of intoxication, with a new AI algorithm pinpointing your level of drunkenness with a 75% accuracy.

The computers built into cars could one day tell if a driver is drunk simply by looking at their facial features, researchers say. By constantly "watching" the driver for typical signs of inebriation, it could even reduce drunk driving accidents.

The project, outlined in a paper published April 9 as part of an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Computer Vision Foundation (CVF) conference, gives in-car computing systems the power to assess the driver's intoxication level as soon as they get in — with 75% accuracy.

It goes beyond existing computer-aided methods that rely on observable behaviors like steering patterns, pedal usage and vehicle speed. Those data points can only be collected and processed when the vehicle has been moving for an extended period.

(Photo: Police say a Maine man who was allegedly driving drunk with his 6-year-old son and caused a deadly crash in Bristol on New Year’s Eve, 2021 has now been charged with manslaughter. Credit: Lincoln County Sheriff's Office)

The new project uses a single color camera that watches for variables like gaze direction and head position. The overall system can also incorporate 3D and infrared footage of the driver's face and rearview videos showing driver posture, alongside steering interactions, event logs, and screen recordings of driving behavior.

"Our system has the capability to identify intoxication levels at the beginning of a drive, allowing for the potential prevention of impaired drivers from being on the road," Ensiyeh Keshtkaran, a doctoral student at Edith Cowan University, Australia, who contributed to the project, said in a statement.

She added that because the software fits seamlessly into the digital architectures of smart vehicles — like eye tracking and driver monitoring systems — it makes it easy to migrate to environments like a smartphone.

For now, the finding represents a major leap forward because it can identify intoxication levels before the car even moves. That could usher in a future in which smart cars won't start with a drunk driver behind the wheel — or they could even alert the authorities if a driver is too intoxicated.