The Evolution of Driver Monitoring Systems: A Shortened Story on Past, Current and Future Approaches How Cars Acquire Knowledge About the Driver's State

About twelve years ago, driver drowsiness detection systems were introduced to the market. The degree of drowsiness was assessed based on a performance dimension by analyzing the driver's steering behavior. With partial and conditional vehicle automation on the horizon, these input signals will no longer be available. Nevertheless, knowledge about the driver's state, e.g. the attentional level or take-over readiness, becomes even more important. Currently and in the near future, interior vehicle cameras are a major source of driver status information. Furthermore, various built-in sensors are under development to complement in-vehicle cameras and possibly vehicle operation. For specific tasks, wearable sensors connected via smartphone can play a prominent role as well. The paper describes this evolution of the sensor approach supplemented by related research findings from Bosch Corporate Research and integrates it in the technical, business, and regulatory context. Thus, the industry perspective should stimulate the discussion and initiate future academic research in the field.