Ohio State University Simulator Can Measure Distracted Drivers Behind The Wheel

The new Ohio State University Driving simulator will be used to help researchers learn more about distracted driving.

The $1.3 million lab will measure a driver's reaction in a simulated environment. That includes different road conditions, speed and vehicles near the car.

It will even take into account your music and GPS devices.

"We are going to be able to do studies of infotainment systems, your NAV system, radio, Bluetooth, or phone. We'll be able to analyze those things to determine whether they cause driver distraction and do things to increase driver safety," said Jan Weisenberger, senior associate vice president for research at The Ohio State University.

Weisenberger is in charge of OSU's simulator project which was developed with Honda R&D Americas, Inc., and the Ohio Supercomputer Center.

Three eye-tracking cameras will look at how a driver's head moves, how they shift their gaze, how long they look at one place and how often they blink.

It may give researches an idea of how sleepy a driver may be.

Also, monitors will measure a driver's blood pressure and respiration rate to determine their stress level.

For Honda, it offers a chance to look at the changing the way we drive.

"In the future, vehicles will communicate with other vehicles, vehicles will communicate with infrastructure. What's the best way to process that information given to the driver? That's what we're trying to study and set the direction for the future," said Frank Paluch of Honda.

The simulators can also gauge how fast a person can accelerate, brake, and change lanes. It can look at how closely a driver follows the person in front of them and gauge if they are being too aggressive.

"We can do it with older people, younger people, teenage driving," added Weisenberger.

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