<b>Estimating the Physical and Mental State of Drivers Using Physiological Indicators</b>

Abstract

Using physiological data from a basic experiment simulating railroad driving in general participants, we studied a method for detecting mental and physical states that may interfere with driving. As a result, characteristic changes in brain activity are observed in the group that experienced a psychological upset. In addition, we selected heart rate and respiration as physiological indices that can be easily measured during driving and proposed a method for selecting effective indices for estimating mental and physical states for each individual. We examine the relationship between brain activity associated with psychological agitation and a questionnaire score on resilience (ability to adapt well) and found a weak correlation between them.

<b>Recent Topics on Human Science for Railways</b>

“…Another system is being developed which sounds a voice alarm before a driver transitions to heavy drowsiness. This paper introduces a sensor-based approach, which involves research and development on a method for estimating the mental and physical states of hypertonia and decreased arousal by utilizing physiological indicators [3].…”