Towards a Mind-Wandering (MW) real-time detection ?

Valeo Innovation Challenge 2016, PARIS, FRANCE, 14-/10/2016 - 14/10/2016With the gradual automation of vehicles, drivers will have to take over their car in the safer way. No study has focused on the detection of cognitive effort generated by mind-wandering (MW) yet. Indeed, the cognitive cost generated by the MW or by any other task could exceed the driver's real capacities. Several studies have already highlighted indicators able to detect cognitive effort averaged over a huge number of events. For the proof of concept of this challenge, we tried to decorrelate heart rate and respiratory signals to remove the Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia phenomenon. This would improve the sensitivity of HRC to spot the cognitive effort in driving. Moreover, using the data fusion methodology, others indicators could be added to further improve our capacity to detect the cognitive effort. With an algorithm able to detect cognitive effort induced by MW, a device implemented into cars could offer an assistance. The driver could then go back into the loop in the safest way. Such an innovation would allow all drivers equipped with this automated devices to be alerted in the better way and to easily adapt their operational mode when these attentional states become critical