Conti Goes Higher-Tech on Distraction Detector System

Several developers are pursuing camera-based technology that monitors a driver's eye movement to detect distraction. Continental AG says its system takes the idea a step farther.

Conti's approach is to analyze eye movement in the context of surrounding traffic conditions. Its system combines input from exterior radar with eye monitoring to decide when drivers need to pay attention and when they're safely glancing at the scenery.

Thus Conti's system is more likely to warn a sideward-glancing driver in heavy traffic than on a straight stretch of lonely highway.

The technology is being developed in conjunction with the University of Darmstadt in Germany, under a research program called Proreta 3. The study is aimed at developing an integrated concept for driving safety and advanced driver assistance.

Christian Schumacher, who heads Conti's advanced driver assistance systems in North America, tells Automotive News the company's goal is to develop a system that avoids bothering the driver with unnecessary alerts. "If people get annoyed," he points out, "they'll turn it off."

Schumacher says the next challenge is to determine how to best alert a driver to pay attention. He says Conti will conduct consumer clinics at its technical center in Auburn Hills, Mich., this summer to find out. Among the options: a warning tone, vibrating seat or flashing light bar that tells the driver where to look.