... a Captology design project
... a Captology design project
Pauline Brutlag, Chia-hao Yu, Kartik Ramakrishnan
November 2nd, 1998
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEWThe problem is to design a persuasive technology which effectively motivates better driving under a
condition which interferes with safe driving. The condition we have chosen is that of the sleepy driver. Our
solution seeks to eliminate the presence of drowsy drivers on the road.
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The Association for Automobile Safety and Accident Prevention (ASAP: Implementing solutions to save lives,
ASAP!) presents the
Drowsy Driver Deterent (DDD).
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Our immediate goal is to prevent accidents by waking drivers who nod off at the wheel. Second, we wish to
persuade those who are drowsy to pull over and stop driving until rested. Our ultimate goal is to completely
eliminate drowsy drivers from the road, by persuading drowsy people to turn away from their cars altogether
and choose alternatives to driving (public transportation, taxis, taking a nap before driving).
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DESCRIPTIONThe DDD is targeted to any driver, but ASAP finds it especially important to install the DDD in the vehicles of those particularly at risk for drowsy driving. These populations include:
| 1) John, a shift worker, drives home from a long night's work in the early morning. |  |
| 2) John is very drowsy, he's falling asleep, and drifting into a neighboring lane. He's losing control of his car, and may cause an accident! |  |
| 3) The DDD senses John's sleepy state, and sets off its alarms. Lights flash, the horn sounds. John is awakened and surrounding drivers are alerted to the presence of a drowsy driver on the road. |  |
| 4) John is embarassed by the alarm sounding, he certainly doesn't want it to go off again, or to have the police called on him. John realizes he is a danger to himself and to others. He decides to pull over, stop driving, and take a nap to get refreshed. |  |
| 5) Another day, John is about to enter his car to drive home, but realizes he is drowsy. He chooses instead to take a bus home. |  |
DETECTION SYSTEM
The detection system takes different forms of inputs to determine whether or not the driver is fatigue.
1. Eyelid Monitor
The eyelid monitor is mounted on the side of the windshield around the side of the driver and also on the steering wheel for full 180 degrees of image caption. The monitor employs the newly developed CMOS image sensor, and it will measure the openness of the driver’s eyes.
2. Breath Pattern Detector
This detector is installed on the front board of the car. It will detect the periodic changes of the air temperature and turbulence due to the breathing of the driver.
COMPUTER SYSTEM
The computer system in the car takes the measurement from the detection system and determines whether the driver is falling in sleep. It will be able to adapt to different drivers intelligently. Once the computer detects that the driver is falling in sleep, it will start a warning sequence and also record to the logbook.
WARNING SYSTEM
1. Sound Alarm
The sound alarm will output a bearable unpleasant warning sound trying to wake the driver up. Moreover, if the computer detects that the driver is on the edge of losing control of the car, the sound alarm will also output a warning sound outside the car to alarm other drivers on the road.
2. Light Alarm
The light alarm will first output a blinking light inside the car trying to catch the attention of the driver, and then it will start the warning light located around the car to alarm other drivers.
3. Communication With Police
The communication system in the car will transmit a warning signal to the police once the driver has ignored the sound and light alarms more than once. If the driver does not pull over to take a rest after the first warning, the police will issue a ticket for dangerous driving.
REPORT SYSTEM
1. Monthly Report
Since the computer system keeps a logbook, a monthly report will be generated. In the monthly report, the driving behavior in regarding to sleepiness will be rated. According to different rating, different tips and suggestions will be made to improve the driver’s sleeping habits. Monthly report can be sent either by paper or by electronic format.
2. Insurance Coupon
If the driver’s rating is high over a period of time, a insurance coupon will be awarded to the driver to lower the insurance cost.
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Vividness: We draw upon the fact that vivid messages are persuasive. The flashing lists, sounds etc. that are integral features of the design help the driver get the message effectively.
Escalation of commitment (foot in the door): People that install the device in the car have already committed to watching out for driving while drowsy. Thus it is likely that they will be receptive to feedback from the system alerting them to their drowsy state.
ABC/Social Learning Theory: When people drive while fatigues, the consequences of their actions can be quite fatal. However, if they are lucky enough not to get into an accident, people continue with the bad habit of driving while drowsy because they can't see the consequences of their behavior. The device, by providing instant feedback, and through a process of education (the reporting mechanism) has the effect of demonstrating the perils of drowsy driving. This creates a feedback loop, that over time, we believe will help change the behavior of people using the device.
Social Conformity: If we bring the product to market, segment by segment, then as more people in a given segment start to use the product, it has the effect of all others in the segment wanting to use the product, because people are susceptible to peer pressure and don't want to be seen as non-conformists.
As part of the design process, we developed a survey and polled over 25 people about their views on the desirability and viability of the proposed design concept. We received tremendous feedback for our web-based survey. Some of the salient results from the feedback were:
However, the results of our feedback also indicate that we might have to re-think or re-position some critical design elements. Specifically:
A cross-section of respondent comments are reproduced below to provide a sense for results from the survey. Complete survey results are available at the following URL. Please note that these results are confidential and not to be shared outside of class participants.
and on a humorous note, the following comment, from a GSB student, which should give all captologists room for concern, regarding the presence of a certain GSB student in their midst:
EXPANSION1. A brain wave detector can be installed in the car to replace the eyelid and breath monitors. Since the brain activity when falling in sleep is unique, the detector can definitely pick up that the driver is about to fall in sleep.
2. A display screen can be put in the car, and every time the driver steps into the car, it will show how tired the driver is and make appropriate recommendations.
3. A sleepiness sensor can be mounted in the car, and if the driver is too tired to driver, it will tell the computer system not to start the car.
4. A “driving buddy” program can be implemented. If the car senses that the driver is too tired to drive, it will
communicate with other cars and their drivers of the program to give the sleepy driver a ride.
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1. A smart seat can also be installed in conjunction with the warning system. Along with the sound and light alarms, a “rocking” sensation can be designed into the seat. Hopefully, the vibration of the seat will wake the driver up.
2. Other than measuring the physical behavior of the driver, a “lane scanning” device can be put together with the detection system. It will detect whether or not the car is wiggling between lanes or occupying more than one lane. In general, this device will be able to detect any abnormal car movements.
3. The computer system can slow down the car once it detects the driver is falling in sleep. It will take over the
control of the car and steer itself to a safe location for the driver to take breaks.
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1. People that are fatigued or drowsy generally know that this is the case. A device that merely alerts them to the fact might not have much value to them. Our survey indicates that there will be an overwhelming demand for a device that would help overcome the effects of drowsiness.
2. Users are split between wanting to alert fellow drivers as to their drowsiness. It is possible that a better
design, or education, or appropriate incentives can help overcome this problem.
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1. To research the sleep deprivation research further to investigate if there are methods to overcome the effects of drowsiness. Even if such measures were to work only for an hour or two, they would help many drivers, especially those that are driving within cities (in fact, would be beneficial to all our target segments, except truckers who are driving over long hauls).
2. To embark on researching the technical aspects of the project which would enable the development of a working prototype.
3. To follow up on studies already conducted in target markets along these dimensions. Specifically, our survey provided us with the following avenue for further research:
3. With working prototype in hand, to pitch the idea to car manufacturers and insurance companies, the two
entities who stand to benefit the most, as indicated by our survey results.
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APPENDICES
