[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 4488-4490] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-2020] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: [email protected]. 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: [email protected]. 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