[Federal Register: January 28, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 18)]
[Notices]
[Page 4488-4490]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja99-151]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration


Ocular-based Measures of Driver Alertness; Notice of Conference
and Request for Submissions

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of conference and request for submissions.

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SUMMARY: This notice is both an invitation to participate in a
conference addressing ocular-based measures of driver alertness and a
request for submissions to be presented/demonstrated at the conference.
The conference is being sponsored by the FHWA's Office of Motor
Carriers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's
(NHTSA) Office of Vehicle Safety Research (formerly, the Office of
Crash Avoidance). The purpose of the conference is to (1) share recent
FHWA/NHTSA findings regarding the validity of eye-based measures of
driver alertness, (2) share recent FHWA and NHTSA technology
developments in this area, (3) identify and provide information about
other Research and Technology (R&T) studies relevant to in-vehicle
alertness monitoring, (4) review the overall state-of-the-art of in-
vehicle alertness monitoring, (5) review concepts for feedback of
alertness information to drivers and other proposed features of the
driver-vehicle interface, and (6) review concepts for the successful
and user-acceptable introduction of in-vehicle alertness monitoring
systems to commercial motor carrier fleets.

DATES: The conference will be held on April 26-27, 1999. Each day's
session will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Papers and technology
demonstration proposals/abstracts must be received on or before March
1, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The conference will be held at the Hyatt-Dulles Hotel, 2300
Dulles Corner Boulevard, Herndon, Virginia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For conference information and to
obtain

[[Page 4489]]

registration materials, contact Ms. Annette Smith, Portfolio Management
Group, Ltd., 8513 Ashwood Drive, Capitol Heights, MD 20743; Telephone:
(301) 499-4936; FAX: (301) 499-1405; E-mail: portmgmt@erols.com. Paper
and technology demonstration proposals should be submitted to Robert J.
Carroll, Office of Motor Carrier Research and Standards (HCS-30),
Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590; Telephone: (202) 366-9109; FAX: (202) 366-8842; E-mail:
robert.carroll@fhwa.dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: From 1997-1998, the Intelligent
Transportation Systems/Commercial Vehicle Operations Division of the
FHWA's Office of Motor Carriers funded a program, which was managed by
the NHTSA's Office of Crash Avoidance Research, to study competing
fatigue detection technologies. Under the program, the University of
Pennsylvania (UPENN) conducted laboratory experiments to evaluate the
validity, sensitivity, and reliability of selected personal
(psychophysiological) fatigue-detection devices and measures. The study
evaluated eye closure measures such as PERCLOS, a measure of eyelid
droop identified in earlier NHTSA research as being a promising index
of fatigue. PERCLOS is defined as the percent of time eyelids are
closed 80% or more--a measure found to be significantly correlated with
driver fatigue. Other psychophysiological measures assessed included
two eye-blink measures, two electroencephalograph (EEG) measures, and a
head movement detector. All measures had some validity, but the results
corroborated most strongly the validity of PERCLOS. The final report,
``Evaluation of Techniques for Ocular Measurement,'' DOT-HS-808 762, is
available through the National Technical Information Service, telephone
(703) 605-6000 or (800) 553-6847. The FHWA and the NHTSA believe that
the PERCLOS measure is one of the most promising known real-time
indicators of driver alertness for in-vehicle systems. Laboratory-based
studies of the driver-vehicle interface for a PERCLOS-based in-vehicle
alertness monitoring system are currently underway. This Intelligent
Vehicle Initiative (IVI)-funded project is being managed by the NHTSA's
Office of Crash Avoidance Research and is a follow-up to the PERCLOS
validation study. Under the program, UPENN is conducting laboratory
experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of various potential elements
of the driver-vehicle interface (DVI) of in-vehicle CMV driver
alertness monitoring devices. Also, under this program, Carnegie Mellon
Research Institute has developed, and is testing, a new camera and
related software that can monitor and analyze a driver's PERCLOS in
real-time. Other DVI components to be assessed include real-time
gauges, informational alarms/warnings, and alerting stimuli. The study
will make recommendations regarding optimal DVI design elements for CMV
driver alertness monitors. This new study will be completed in the
Spring of 1999 and reported at the conference. This technical
conference/workshop is planned to discuss recent scientific validation
findings regarding PERCLOS and other eye activity measures as metrics
of alertness, and the status of efforts to develop in-vehicle sensors
to continuously measure PERCLOS as an indicator of driver alertness
(i.e., develop an ``alertometer''). The conference will also address
the potential and appropriate uses of ``alertometer'' data and ways to
ensure the active participation and acceptance of drivers and
management in the use of such technologies. Since the PERCLOS measure
will likely be a key metric employed in any operational test of
alertness monitoring technology, the workshop will also provide an
update of the FHWA's plans for implementing the IVI operational tests,
as described above.
    Due to limited seating, early registration is encouraged. The
registration fee is $150. The registration fee for full-time students
is $100. Those registering before March 1, 1999 may pay an early
registration fee of $100 ($75 for full-time students). Full refund of
registration fees will be made for cancellations received by April 15,
1999. Refunds of 75 percent of the registration fee will be made for
cancellation notices received after April 15, 1999. Persons interested
in attending, presenting papers, and/or demonstrating relevant
technologies are invited to obtain registration materials and submit
papers or technology demonstration proposals, in accordance with the
criteria set forth below.
    To be accepted for presentation, papers proposing methods of
alertness measurement should describe how the measure/method meets one
of the following three criteria for continuous, in-vehicle driver
alertness monitoring, regardless of the technology used:
    (1) Provide continuous, in-vehicle driver-alertness monitoring,
using the PERCLOS measure.
    (2) Be highly correlated with the PERCLOS.
    (3) Have gone through a validation process similar to the PERCLOS
validation.
    Technologies proposed for demonstration at the conference will be
evaluated with respect to their validity in measuring driver alertness,
their reliability/durability for in-vehicle operation, and their
current or potential cost of production and integration in vehicle
operations. Interested parties are instructed to request a registration
packet and submit a 300-500 word abstract, describing the paper or
technology demonstration proposed for presentation at the conference.
The abstracts related to technology demonstrations should include a
description of the technology, including its major components,
functional basis (i.e., what it measures), how it is installed in a
vehicle (and/or worn by operators), what kind of feedback it provides
to drivers, evidence of validity (e.g., correlation with performance on
vigilance or alertness-related tasks), operational reliability/
durability, unobtrusiveness/acceptability, and affordability (or
potential affordability following further development). Empirical data
on device validity (i.e., evidence that it is accurately measuring
alertness as measured by some independent criterion which is a known
valid measure of alertness, such as the psychological vigilance test)
is particularly important. The FHWA and NHTSA will select or invite
presentations and demonstrations for the conference, based upon these
criteria. Submitters are instructed not to submit any confidential or
proprietary data on device design or performance.
    The outcomes of this conference are expected to be (1) greater
public awareness of recent FHWA/NHTSA findings with respect to the
validity of eye-based measures of driver alertness and related
technology developments in this area, (2) the identification of other
research and technology studies relevant to in-vehicle alertness
monitoring, (3) a review of the overall state-of-the-art of in-vehicle
alertness monitoring, (4) a review of concepts for providing feedback
of alertness information to drivers, as well as other proposed features
of the driver-vehicle interface, and (5) a review of concepts for
successful and user-acceptable introduction of in-vehicle alertness
monitoring to commercial motor carrier fleets. The FHWA does not
believe the outcomes of this conference will impact the agency's on-
going rulemaking addressing its prescriptive hours-of-service rules.

[[Page 4490]]

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; 49 U.S.C. 31136; 49 U.S.C. 31502; 49
CFR 1.48 and 1.50.

    Issued on: January 22, 1999.
George L. Reagle,
Associate Administrator for Motor Carriers Federal Highway
Administration.
Raymond P. Owings,
Associate Administrator for Research and Development, National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-2020 Filed 1-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P