A Physiological Sensor-Based Android Application Synchronized with a Driving Simulator for Driver Monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Transportation Safety

Background:

• Monitoring driver physiological states is crucial for understanding driving performance and safety.
• Existing methods often lack real-time, integrated physiological data collection during driving simulations.
• The Shimmer platform offers multi-sensor physiological data acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an Android application for controlling and synchronizing Shimmer physiological sensors with a driving simulator.
• To analyze the relationship between driver physiological responses and driving performance metrics.
• To explore the potential applications of this integrated system in various user groups.

Main Methods:

• Development of a synchronized Android application and a Unity-based driving simulator.
• Integration of Shimmer platform sensors: ECG, EMG, GSR, accelerometer, magnetometer, and gyroscope.
• Data collection from 25 participants, analyzing correlations between physiological signals and driving data.
• Testing across various sampling rates and Android devices.

Main Results:

• Successful synchronization of the Android app with the driving simulator.
• Significant correlations identified between a gyroscope-based feature and vehicle data, including traffic offenses.
• Demonstrated ability to process, visualize, and store multiple physiological signals.

Conclusions:

• The developed Android application effectively integrates physiological monitoring with driving simulation.
• The system provides valuable insights into the relationship between physiological states and driving behavior.
• The application has potential for broader use in healthcare and sports science.