Part One
Patent application No. GB1816815.33
Summary of part one
At the dawn of the age of self driving s cars, drivers face up to ten new driving hazards created by the very technology that is supposed to make driving safer.
We will outline the ten hazards and then explain how a new British invention could reduce them to acceptable levels.
BACKGROUND
Level 3 driverless cars will be in the showrooms soon!
Engineers use a 0-5 scale of autonomy for motor vehicles. At level 0 the vehicle is completely driver controlled and at level 5 there is no driver, with artificial intelligence (AI) taking even the most critical safely decisions.
From the human driver perspective, the most challenging stage of development is level 3 where the vehicle can be driven autonomously under certain conditions, for example on uncluttered, pedestrian and cyclist free roads. But crucially at level 3, the driver is always available to take command of the decision making when the information flow is too complex for the AI to cope with.
The conventional automobile engineering assumption is that the biggest problem posed by level 3 autonomy is keeping the driver alert and awake so that they are ready to take control of the vehicle. The corresponding engineering solution is to employ electronic devices that recognise if the driver is falling asleep. Then, if a warning sound or other stimulus fails to arouse them, the AI brings the vehicle to a safe standstill.
We argue that such ‘verge of sleep’ detection systems are inadequate because they fail to address the far wider range of problems that drivers of level 3 vehicles are likely to encounter when changing from passive to active driving mode during an emergency.
Ten safety problems created by level 3 driverless cars
- The trust problem:
the driver is lulled into a false sense of security
A serious problem with level 3 autonomy is that it could lull drivers into a false sense of security because the AI appears to be so clever. Relaxed trusting drivers will be incredulous and slow to respond when called upon to act in an emergency. - The fumble problem:
their hands may be full when they need to grab the steering whee
In theory, the driver will be sitting passively, waiting to take control of the vehicle. But this is a big ask of any human being. Instead they will find activities to pass the time.
The driver is likely to be holding a book, smartphone or expensive laptop at the moment they are called upon to take control of their vehicle. In an emergency, they may fumble, wasting valuable seconds while putting them to one side.
In the worst case scenario, the driver will be holding a hard object such as a tablet computer in the line of expansion of the driver’s airbag when it is deployed during a crash. In this case the airbag itself becomes a lethal hazard because it thrusts the tablet at decapitating speed into the drivers face. [Airbags expand at 200 miles per hour, so a tablet smashing into the drivers face is likely to be fatal.
- The dozy problem:
they may fall asleep
When freed from the responsibility and mental stimulation of driving, even conscientious drivers are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel. The ‘waking up systems’ currently being developed often fail to recognise that the driver may be technically awake, but still slow to respond during an emergency because their hands and eyes are not in a ‘ready to respond’ position. - The nice problem:
they may waste time being polite when ending phone calls
Polite drivers (and lovers) using mobile phones may waste valuable response time if they feel obliged to apologise before ending a telephone conversation in an emergency. - The not-so-nice problem:
the risk of travel sickness increases
If the driver is looking down at a book or small screen, their eyes will tell them that the vehicle is stationary, but if the vehicle takes a bed, brakes or accelerates, the balance mechanism in their inner ears will tell them that the vehicle is moving. Travel sick is a common consequence of these conflicting signals being sent to the brain. It can be aggravated by anxiety caused by surrendering driving control to a computer and having limited knowledge of what the AI computer is telling the vehicle what to do. - The first eye problem:
they can suffer eye focusing delays
Older drivers will commonly experience a delay in refocusing their eyes when changing from close book or small screen reading work to the long distance vision required for driving work. - The second eye problem:
new hazards for glasses wearers emerge
About 30% of UK, 40% of American and 90% of Chinese drivers need to wear driving glasses because they are myopic (nearsighted). A compensating benefit of myopia is that myopic drivers can read small screens and books very close to their eyes provided they remove their driving glasses. But this creates a hazard because in a driving emergency they may become flustered, mislaying their driving glasses or failing to put them on.
The converse is true for older drivers with normally aging eyesight who do not require driving glasses, but need reading glasses for close reading work. In an emergency, they may fail to remove their reading glasses.
In both of these cases the risk of an accident increases because the driver is controlling the vehicle with impaired vision. - The dizzy problem:
they may suffer from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
The sudden head movements involved when changing from a prolonged looking down position, as commonly adopted for small screen or book reading to the head up position required for driving can cause dizziness and disorientation, temporarily impairing driving performance. - The dazzle problem
they can be temporarily blinded by bright light (Photophobia)
The brightness of objects viewed inside a vehicle is lower than that of a daylight lit road. The contrast is greatest if the vehicle has tinted windows and intense sunlight is being reflected from a light coloured road ahead. To see clearly in the darker interior conditions the pupils open up. The pupils then shrink, to reduce the amount of light entering the eye when looking at a brightly lit road. But if the driver is suffering from light sensitivity (Photophobia) the pupils will be slow to respond when the driver has to adapt to bright light. As a result they will be dazzled and temporarily blinded. Photophobia is caused by several conditions including a foreign body in the eye, eye infections and hay fever.
Drivers seeking to reduce dazzle or dizziness problems are trapped in a safety dilemma.
Operating devices in the brighter light at steering wheel level will certainly ease both problems, but only at the risk of the driver being blinded or killed if their airbag is deployed in a crash, hurling the device into their face. - Lots of problems:
a coalition of hazards
Taken individually, most of the above hazards may only pose a moderate risk for drivers. But two or more of them afflicting the driver at the same time could create a serious threat. to life
Unless we can overcome these hazards, research at one of America’s top universities suggests that drivers will not be interested in buying driverless cars.
http://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2017/05/25/mit-study-self-driving-cars
Our proposal for reducing these hazards
[Our patent application GB1816815.3 “Improving driver emergency responses in autonomous vehicles” covers a wide range of design options. The descriptions provided below are only illustrative examples.]
We propose that these hazards can be significantly reduced by providing the driver with additional pieces of equipment including an easy-view monitor or electronic display screen and a computer keyboard that rides just above the steering wheel.
Below, the invention in use when the driver is free to use their smartphone, laptop and other electronic devices.
Figure 1. The essential features of the invention are:
- A monitor,
- A keyboard,
- A microphone and small loudspeaker,
- A small computer Bluetooth linked to the driver’s smartphone, laptop etc.
- A camera for viewing the road ahead.
When artificial intelligence (AI) is driving the vehicle, the driver has full access to their electronic devices. But crucially, instead of looking down at a hand held device, they have nothing to put down in an emergency. Also, because they are viewing the monitor, their head is up and their eyes are looking in the direction of the road ahead. This means that their whole body is in an action ready position, free to take command of the vehicle at short notice.
The monitor is larger than a smartphone screen and the keyboard is larger than a smartphone keypad, making them both easier to use. As a bonus, battery life for electronic devices is extended because their screens, microphones and loudspeakers are not being used.
The driver has a choice of two emergency settings for the monitor.
(i) The screen can fold down or drop into a slot in the dashboard. This will take a couple of seconds.
(ii) The monitor can immediately transfer to a camera view of the road ahead.
Below, the invention at the instant the driver is summoned to take control of their vehicle
(Assuming option (ii), the camera view is chosen.)
In this illustrative example, the road is blocked by a family of deer and a pram. The AI is unable to decide whether to serve to the left and hit a moving animal or swerve to the right and hit an inanimate object, the pram.
So it hands over control to the driver who must be alert and ready to act quickly.
Figure 2. All decisions relating to non-driving activities are taken out of the drivers control as soon as their full attention is required for driving work.
- When the driver takes over all the electronic devices they were working on are put to sleep, with all settings being saved ready for a rapid start-up as soon as AI control of the vehicle is resumed.
- The saved date can also include live broadcasts so that the driver does not miss information of interest, for example details of road traffic conditions. The audio replay and sound systems can switch on again automatically after (say) 5 seconds, when the driver is at the wheel.
- This abrupt shutdown is only required for emergencies where the driver is called upon to react with all possible speed. A more benign transfer of control will be used in planned circumstances, for example, when the vehicle exits a motorway. This system is intended to be ‘polite’ so that the driver has a positive association with it.
- For example, a friendly, “It'sime for you to take over boss” messsage is given in non-urgent situations.
- Drivers will be denied the ability to hold the steering wheel at the top of the arc because the platform gets in the way. This is a safety bonus because horrific injuries can be inflicted if the driver has a hand in this position when the air bag inflates during a crash.
- The system can include an ultras sensitive training setting where relatively trivial incidents trigger the transfer of control to the driver. Regular use of the training setting will verify that the system is working and give the driver practice at taking emergency control.
It may well be that this invention also reduces the degree of alienation between the human driver and the artificial intelligence system because they are in a close partnership. The driver sits close to a ‘ready to drive’ pose and shares the same computer system for non-driving and autonomous driving activities.
Simulation training
With the engine switched off and the vehicle stationary, the system can be used as a training simulator. This could take the form of a game for playing during idle moments, for example while waiting outside the school gates, to pick up the kids after school.
This could be a business opportunity for computer games designers!
Below, parking the keyboard and monitor for long manual driving sessions
Figure 3. The keyboard platform can only be moved to one side when the vehicle is stationary. This eliminates the risk of the displaced platform fouling the expansion of the airbag during a crash.
How this system improves the safety of driverless cars
- Problem: The driver is lulled into a false sense of security
Solution: Ensure that the driver is action ready to take over in an emergency.
When driving conditions are safe, the integration of computer and phone devices is very convenient for the driver compared with separate smartphone and laptop work. But as soon as road conditions become too complex for the AI to handle, the driver is shaken out of any complacency because all non-driving functions are suspended.
This frequent denial of access to non-driving activities during everyday driving also educates the driver so that they are mentally prepared to act quickly in an emergency. - Problem: Their hands may be full when they grab the steering wheel
Solution: Keep the driver’s hands empty
This is a ‘hands-free’ system. So there is no fumbling with expensive electronic devices or paper items when the call comes to take driving control.
When not using the keyboard, the driver’s hands are likely to be resting on the steering wheel. - Problem: The driver may fall asleep
Solution:
(i) Keep the driver awake
The strong blue light emitted by the monitor is far better at keeping drivers awake, than the light reflected by printed documents. [This is the reverse of the advice given to poor sleepers; that they should read in bed instead of watching TV or using illuminated screen devices.]
(ii) Check that the driver is awake
If the driver’s head is drooping and they are not speaking into their phone, scrolling or using the keyboard, (or singing along with their in-car music system!) a warning sound is issued and their seat vibrates.
The drooping head and eye movement detection system we propose is not novel; there are many groups working on this. However, we have simplified the task because the alert driver will spend most of their time looking ahead in the direction of the road, rather than looking down at a book or small screen, where their posture is similar to that when dozing. - Problem: They waste time being polite when ending phone calls
Solution: Remove the driver from the problem
The driver has no choice in the matter. The computer system ‘takes the blame’ for rudely cutting off any phone calls. It can also send an apology message to the person at the other end of the connection. - The risk of travel sickness increases
Solution: Mimic the mindset that prevents today’s drivers from becoming travel sick
5.1
Send matching signals to the brain: When using their central vision to view the monitor, the driver’s peripheral vision is still able to pick up visual clues that the vehicle is moving. Consequently, the signals sent to the brain by their eyes and inner ears are in harmony.
5.2
Stress reduction: When the AI makes any changes such as accelerating, braking or changing vehicle direction, the driver can optionally view a thumbnail image of the road taken from a roof mounted camera, to keep them aware of the action. The audio system can also make announcements when manoeuvres are about to take place, e.g., “Moving left”.
5.3
More stress reduction: They are also less isolated from the AI system than they would be if using unconnected electronic devices or reading a book.
5.4Additional support for drivers with severe travel sickness problems
When a driver is steering their vehicle round a bend, they naturally coordinate their head movement and steering action so that their head tilts towards the centre of the curve. But the passenger has no reason to do so. Experiments show that this tilting of the head reduces travel sickness for drivers compared with passengers.
[Wada, T. et al, Analysis of driver’s head tilt using a mathematical model of motion sicjness, International Journal of Industrial Engineering, Vol. 63, January 2018, p 89-97.]
Creating a similar head tilt for passive drivers:
Assuming the monitor screen is sufficiently wide; moving the image on the screen can produce the same head tilting movement in the passive driver.
Figure 4. The computer induced movement of the displayed image when the vehicle turns stimulates the driver to move their head in a similar manner to if they had been in command of the steering.
This image shifting aid can be switched off for the majority of drivers who are not susceptible to severe travel sickness. [Only about 10% will be vulnerable.]
The space to the sides of the main image can be used for displaying GPS maps, instrument readouts etc.
Installing similar wide screens for passengers to view would reduce passenger travel sickness. This will be an asset for passengers in all types of vehicles, not just autonomous ones.
- Problem: They can suffer eye focusing delays
Solution: Reduce the need to refocus their eyes
We replace book and small screen reading with larger screen reading, where the screen is further from the driver’s eyes and requires less refocusing for driving work. We also replace the small touch screen keyboard on smartphones with a large sized keyboard mounted in front of the steering wheel. - Problem: Autonomous vehicles create new hazards for glasses wearers
Solution: Reduce the need to take glasses off or put them on when swapping from driving to non-driving activities
(i) Myopic drivers can normally leave their driving glasses on for computer screen work, because the screen is further from their eyes than their preferred distance for doing close book reading work.
(ii) Older drivers who normally use reading glasses for close reading work will be able to read the display screen clearly without wearing glasses, partly because it is slightly further away than their preferred distance for reading small screens and partly because they can enlarge the font size displayed on the screen.
(iii) Both types of driver will find the keypad mounted over the steering wheel easier to use than a tiny smartphone touch pad. - Problem: They may suffer from dizziness (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo)
Solution: Reduce the need for rapid head movements
Dizziness caused by suddenly looking up after a prolonged period of looking down at a book or small screen will be eliminated because the driver’s head will be held up for viewing the monitor screen. - Problem: They can be temporarily blinded by a sudden change to bright light (Photophobia)
Solution: Keep the changes in light intensity to a minimum
When looking at a dashboard mounted screen inside the vehicle, the driver’s natural eyes movements will cause them to occasionally take in the full brightness of the road ahead. This will prepare their eyes for bright light viewing.
In contrast, the natural eye movements of a driver looking down at a small screen or book will naturally tend to stray on to other parts of the vehicle interior that are shaded.
Some variations on the design that you may find interesting
Our patent application is very broadly written to cover a number of design options. Below we will reveal some of them.
1 Getting rid of the conventional steering wheel column
In a traditional mechanical road vehicle the steering system converts the rotation of the steering wheel into a swivelling movement of the road wheels. This results in the vehicle turning when it is moving.
In the fully autonomous vehicles which are expected to be on our roads in 30 or so year’s time, the swivelling movement will be controlled by motors that are linked to the vehicles artificial intelligence (AI) system. This will eliminate the need for a conventional steering wheel and steering wheel column.
The technology to operate these motors is available today, so we might as well take advantage of it. Thus, instead of having a conventional steering column that turns along with the steering wheel, the steering wheel rotational movements could produce signals that are sent by Bluetooth to the direction changing motors. When AI is in control of the steering, it could send similar signals directly to the motors.
Eliminating the traditional rotating steering column will allow the steering wheel to remain stationary when the vehicle is under AI control. One of the benefits of a stationary steering wheel is that the lower part of the wheel can be used as a wrist rest when using the keyboard.
But, if we stick with our existing two spoke steering wheel, this creates a new problem.
If the driver has to take control as the vehicle is travelling around a bend and the steering wheel is at rest with its two spokes horizontal, the spokes will end up at an angle when the driver turns the vehicle out of the bend. This could be very unsettling for the driver because their experience will tell them that the steering wheel spokes are not in their ‘correct’ horizontal position.
One way of removing this visual unease (others are described on our patent literature) is to employ a steering wheel has a lot of thin spokes instead of two large thick ones.
Figure 5. If Bluetooth is used, instead of a rotating steering wheel column, there is no guarantee that a two spoke steering wheel will end up with its spokes horizontal when the vehicle is travelling in a straight line on a level road.
Simulation training
A decoupled steering wheel will make simulation training in a stationary vehicle a lot more realistic and fun.
2 A simplified method of supporting the keyboard platform
With a Bluetooth linked steering wheel the central column does not rotate, so the keyboard platform can be mounted directly on to it. The steering wheel can then be mounted on a track that runs around the column.
Figure 6. The keyboard platform hovers slightly above the steering wheel, but sufficiently close that the steering wheel rim can be used as a wrist rest. Having a large number of thin spokes makes it difficult to see dashboard instruments behind the steering wheel. This problem can be overcome by mounting the instruments or a small digital equivalent display screen on to the keyboard platform.
This also frees up space inside the dashboard for the monitor to drop into; a far tidier arrangement than a fold down monitor.
3 A new design that eliminates the traditional steering wheel column
Figure 7. The grip post is securely attached to the body of the vehicle.
4 A ‘D’ shaped ‘steering wheel’ to create more space for the monitor
Figure 8. The ‘D’ shape encourages the driver to hold the hand grip in the so called ‘9 and 3’ position. The ‘2 and 10’ position is impossible. This is a useful safely bonus, because arms held in the2 and 10 position can be badly injured if the air bag is deployed.
5 A drop down monitor system
Figure 9. The monitor automatically rides down to the viewing position when the car is in self drive mode and, after a few seconds, automatically rides up again when the driver is in control. The driver can opt to keep the monitor in the down position when in control and view the road ahead through the monitor. This is a useful safety measure when driving towards the direction of a low lying bright sun because it prevents the driver being dazzled by intense direct sunlight. This safety feature will also be useful at night when driving towards vehicles with dazzling headlights. On very dark roads it can be used to enhance visibility and pick up infra red radiation emitted by pedestrians and cyclists (and of course badgers and hedgehogs!).
Our patent application is very broadly written to cover a range of display screen options. It includes the following statement, “It is to be understood that the invention extends to include electronic displays that are built into the vehicle windscreen, displays that are projected onto the windscreen and displays close to the driver’s eyes in the manner of a virtual reality headset.”
Adding any version of this invention to driverless cars will increase manufacturing costs, but because it significantly reduces the risk of accidents it will lead to a compensating reduction in insurance costs.
INTERESTED?
This intellectual property is offered for sale. The inventor does not wish to encourage monopolies and preference will be given to a potential purchaser who is willing to license it to any number of autonomous car manufacturers worldwide.
About the inventor
Bill Courtney became partially sighted a few years ago and had to give up driving.
Fully autonomous level 5 cars are his best hope of gaining the freedom of the roads again.
He was motivated to come up with the invention described above as his contribution to speeding up the development of driverless car technology.
Part Two
Who must die? Should the artificial intelligence of autonomous vehicles be programmed to give priority to saving the lives of pedestrians or vehicle occupants?
Technology cannot answer this question, but it can be used to even up the odds so that pedestrians have a better chance of surviving with minimal injuries without jeopardising the lives of vehicle occupants.
Way back in the 1990’s the European Union Commission proposed legislation to reduce the injuries to pedestrians if they had the misfortune to be knocked down by a moving vehicle. The draft EU legislation required motor vehicles to have soft, pedestrian friendly front bumpers (fenders) to protect pedestrian’s legs and other measures to protect their heads and upper bodies. This legislation was scheduled to come into force in 2005.
But, following university research corruption and pressure from the car makers, the legislation was abandoned. Perhaps the time has come to revive it.
Cheshire Innovation’s contribution to the planned 2005 legislation was to work with Dow Chemicals (Auto Division) and Manchester University to develop a smart car bumper that was soft for adult pedestrian leg impacts, even softer for child leg impacts, but still remained stiff, to protect car bodywork in other types of impact.
Unfortunately, as we explain on this linked webpage, corruption within Manchester University and a subsequent cover-up involving the UK Research Integrity Office, the development of smart pedestrian friendly car bumpers came to a halt in 2004. It is impossible to say how many pedestrian lives have been ruined as a consequence.
An attempt was made to revive the smart bumper research at Cardiff University in 2010. But, following the cover-up of the corrupt Manchester research, Cardiff University was unable to obtain the funding to repeat the research but this time, do the work correctly. As you can see from this linked webpage, the British House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is aware of the problem, but nobody wants to face up to the possibility of deep corruption within British science.
We would be delighted if the research was revived by any institution and smart car bumpers added to autonomous vehicles. Please contact us if your business or research group wants to take up our offer.
Part Three
Reducing whiplash injuries in the most common type of autonomous vehicle accident.
The majority of the recorded autonomous vehicle crashes to date were low speed rear end incidents, where impatient human drivers bumped into the back of cautious slow moving autonomous vehicles. [https://tech.co/mapping-driverless-car-crash-california-2018-10]
As the number of driverless cars on our roads increases, this type of rear end collision could become common. Unfortunately, even low speed impacts can cause whiplash injuries and vehucle repair costs can be high.
Our smart SALi filled car bumper could be used as a rear bumper to reduce both injuries and repair costs.
As you can read on this linked webpage, the formulation of SALi filed bumpers can be tuned so that they have good visco-elastic properties.
SALi filled visco-elastic rear bumpers would have several merits:
(i) The higher the impact speed, the stiffer the bumper becomes. This optimises protection for both people and vehicles for a range of impact speeds.
(ii) The bumper recovers its shape relatively slowly, eliminating repair costs but without the kickback that could cause further human injury if the bumper was spring loaded and recovered too rapidly.
(iii) The fluid nature of the SALi has internal load spreading benefits, further reducing damage to the bodywork of both vehicles.