Have you ever fell asleep behind the wheel?

That’s the worst case scenario. Usually, we are easily distracted while driving, or nervous about someone speeding, a light turning, a street closure with barricades and so on.

Never to worry about this ever again!

At least as long as you have a brain over your head!

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Brain to Vehicle Technology

Nissan’s Brain-to-Vehicle, or B2V, technology will in 2018 enable vehicles to interpret signals from the driver’s brain, redefining how people interact with their cars.

 “When most people think about autonomous driving, they have a very impersonal vision of the future, where humans relinquish control to the machines,” Nissan Executive Vice President Daniele Schillaci, said.

“Yet B2V technology does the opposite, by using signals from their own brain to make the drive even more exciting and enjoyable.”

This breakthrough from Nissan is the result of research into using brain decoding technology to predict a driver’s actions and detect discomfort by catching signs that the driver’s brain is about to initiate a movement.

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Additionally, B2V can detect and evaluate driver discomfort, where AI can change the driving configuration or driving style when in autonomous mode.

Nissan was beaten to the task by a group of students. Really?

Smart driving system

According to Emirates Vehicle Gate, a group of Emirati students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, CSE, at the American University of Sharjah, have developed “a smart system that aims to reduce traffic accidents.

It works by sending wireless messages informing drivers about any irregular behaviour by other nearby motorists driving within a certain distance of choice of up to a few kilometres.

“It is a simple and affordable device that aims to notify drivers of irregular driving behavior around their vehicles at a radius of their choice that can go up to several kilometers. The device serves drivers in becoming more alert of possible threats from others and detects reckless driving activity such as tailgating, speeding, frequent braking, swerving, and others,” it clarified.

What is the public sector doing about it?

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Smart mobility

A recent report dubbed “GCC Transportation Construction Market” by Gulf Traffic reveals that the UAE, especially Dubai, is already taking measures to adopt more technologies into its transportation infrastructure.

It quotes Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), as saying that the Emirate’s new smart transport strategy will reduce transportation costs by 44% or more than $ 245 million, saving around $ 408 million through reduction of environmental pollution, and $ 4.9 billion through raising efficiency of the transport sector by 20%.

It will also help in reducing traffic accidents and associated economic losses by 12%, thus saving $ 544 million a year.

It added that intelligent rail can help rail operators to reduce manpower requirements, meanwhile improving operational efficiency and passenger care capacity and reduce operational expenses.

It also said that the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy is expected to save $6 bn in annual economic revenues by reducing transportation costs, carbon emissions and accidents, raising the productivity of individuals as well as saving hundreds of millions of hours wasted in conventional transportation.

The whole idea is to save lives and reduce accidents.

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Crash crunch

The General Directorate of Traffic Coordination of the Ministry of Interior reports that deaths caused by traffic accidents in the UAE have reached 315 in the first half of 2017 compared to 386 deaths in the same period of 2016.

Injuries resulting from traffic accidents also decreased by 12.5% with 3,015 people injured, compared to 3,447 in the first half of 2016.