Protecting privacy of users in brain-computer interface applications

Machine learning (ML) is revolutionizing research and industry. Many ML applications rely on the use of large amounts of personal data for training and inference. Among the most intimate exploited data sources is electroencephalogram (EEG) data, a kind of data that is so rich with information that application developers can easily gain knowledge beyond the professed scope from unprotected EEG signals, including passwords, ATM PINs, and other intimate data. The challenge we address is how to engage in meaningful ML with EEG data while protecting the privacy of users. Hence, we propose cryptographic protocols based on secure multiparty computation (SMC) to perform linear regression over EEG signals from many users in a fully privacy-preserving(PP) fashion, i.e., such that each individual's EEG signals are not revealed to anyone else. To illustrate the potential of our secure framework, we show how it allows estimating the drowsiness of drivers from their EEG signals as would be possible in the unencrypted case, and at a very reasonable computational cost. Our solution is the first application of commodity-based SMC to EEG data, as well as the largest documented experiment of secret sharing-based SMC in general, namely, with 15 players involved in all the computations

Fatigue Detection for Ship OOWs Based on Input Data Features, from The Perspective of Comparison with Vehicle Drivers: A Review

Ninety percent of the world’s cargo is transported by sea, and the fatigue of ship officers of the watch (OOWs) contributes significantly to maritime accidents. The fatigue detection of ship OOWs is more difficult than that of vehicles drivers owing to an increase in the automation degree. In this study, research progress pertaining to fatigue detection in OOWs is comprehensively analysed based on a comparison with that in vehicle drivers. Fatigue detection techniques for OOWs are organised based on input sources, which include the physiological/behavioural features of OOWs, vehicle/ship features, and their comprehensive features. Prerequisites for detecting fatigue in OOWs are summarised. Subsequently, various input features applicable and existing applications to the fatigue detection of OOWs are proposed, and their limitations are analysed. The results show that the reliability of the acquired feature data is insufficient for detecting fatigue in OOWs, as well as a non-negligible invasive effect on OOWs. Hence, low-invasive physiological information pertaining to the OOWs, behaviour videos, and multisource feature data of ship characteristics should be used as inputs in future studies to realise quantitative, accurate, and real-time fatigue detections in OOWs on actual ships

Monitoring fatigue and drowsiness in motor vehicle occupants using electrocardiogram and heart rate - A systematic review

Introdução: A fadiga é um estado complexo que pode resultar em diminuição da vigilância, frequentemente acompanhada de sonolência. A fadiga durante a condução contribui significativamente para acidentes de trânsito em todo o mundo, destacando-se a necessidade de técnicas de monitorização eficazes. Existem várias tecnologias para aumentar a segurança do condutor e reduzir os riscos de acidentes, como sistemas de deteção de fadiga que podem alertar os condutores à medida que a sonolência se instala. Em particular, a análise dos padrões de frequência cardíaca pode oferecer informações valiosas sobre a condição fisiológica e o nível de vigilância do condutor, permitindo-lhe compreender os seus níveis de fadiga. Esta revisão tem como objetivo estabelecer o estado atual das estratégias de monitorização para ocupantes de veículos, com foco específico na avaliação da fadiga pela frequência cardíaca e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. Métodos: Realizamos uma pesquisa sistemática da literatura nas bases de dados Web of Science, SCOPUS e Pubmed, utilizando os termos veículo, condutor, monitoração fisiológica, fadiga, sono, eletrocardiograma, frequência cardíaca e variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. Examinamos artigos publicados entre 1 de janeiro de 2018 e 31 de janeiro de 2023. Resultados: Um total de 371 artigos foram identificados, dos quais 71 foram incluídos neste estudo. Entre os artigos incluídos, 57 utilizam o eletrocardiograma (ECG) como sinal adquirido para medir a frequência cardíaca, sendo que a maioria das leituras de ECG foi obtida através de sensores de contacto (n=41), seguidos por sensores vestíveis não invasivos (n=11). Relativamente à validação, 23 artigos não mencionam qualquer tipo de validação, enquanto a maioria se baseia em avaliações subjetivas de fadiga relatadas pelos próprios participantes (n=27) e avaliações feitas por observadores com base em vídeos (n=11). Dos artigos incluídos, apenas 14 englobam um sistema de estimativa de fadiga e sonolência. Alguns relatam um desempenho satisfatórios, no entanto, o tamanho reduzido da amostra limita a abrangência de quaisquer conclusões. Conclusão: Esta revisão destaca o potencial da análise da frequência cardíaca e da instrumentação não invasiva para a monitorização contínua do estado do condutor e deteção de sonolência. Uma das principais questões é a falta de métodos suficientes de validação e estimativa para a fadiga, o que contribui para a insuficiência dos métodos na criação de sistemas de alarme proativos. Esta área apresenta grandes perspetivas, mas ainda está longe de ser implementada de forma fiável.Background: Fatigue is a complex state that can result in decreased alertness, often accompanied by drowsiness. Driving fatigue has become a significant contributor to traffic accidents globally, highlighting the need for effective monitoring techniques. Various technologies exist to enhance driver safety and minimize accident risks, such as fatigue detection systems that can alert drivers as drowsiness sets in. In particular, measuring heart rate patterns may offer valuable insights into the occupant's physiological condition and level of alertness, and may allow them to understand their fatigue levels. This review aims to establish the current state of the art of monitoring strategies for vehicle occupants, specifically focusing on fatigue assessed by heart rate and heart rate variability. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search in the databases of Web Of Science, SCOPUS and Pubmed, using the terms vehicle, driver, physiologic monitoring, fatigue, sleep, electrocardiogram, heart rate and heart rate variability. We examine articles published between 1st of january 2018 and 31st of January 2023. Results: A total of 371 papers were identified from which 71 articles were included in this study. Among the included papers, 57 utilized electrocardiogram (ECG) as the acquired signal for heart rate (HR) measures, with most ECG readings obtained through contact sensors (n=41), followed by non-intrusive wearable sensors (n=11). Regarding validation, 23 papers do not report validation, while the majority rely on subjective self-reported fatigue ratings (n=27) and video-based observer ratings(n=11). From the included papers, only 14 comprise a fatigue and drowsiness estimation system. Some report acceptable performances, but reduced sample size limits the reach of any conclusions. Conclusions: This review highlights the potential of HR analysis and non-intrusive instrumentation for continuous monitoring of driver's status and detecting sleepiness. One major issue is the lack of sufficient validation and estimation methods for fatigue, contributing to the insufficiency of methods in providing proactive alarm systems. This area shows great promise but is still far from being reliably implemented

Driver Drowsiness Detection with Commercial EEG Headsets

Driver Drowsiness is one of the leading causes of road accidents. Electroencephalography (EEG) is highly affected by drowsiness; hence, EEG-based methods detect drowsiness with the highest accuracy. Developments in manufacturing dry electrodes and headsets have made recording EEG more convenient. Vehicle-based features used for detecting drowsiness are easy to capture but do not have the best performance. In this paper, we investigated the performance of EEG signals recorded in 4 channels with commercial headsets against the vehicle-based technique in drowsiness detection. We recorded EEG signals of 50 volunteers driving a simulator in drowsy and alert states by commercial devices. The observer rating of the drowsiness method was used to determine the drowsiness level of the subjects. The meaningful separation of vehicle-based features, recorded by the simulator, and EEG-based features of the two states of drowsiness and alertness have been investigated. The comparison results indicated that the EEG-based features are separated with lower p-values than the vehicle-based ones in the two states. It is concluded that EEG headsets can be feasible alternatives with better performance compared to vehicle-based methods for detecting drowsiness.Comment: 546 Preprint version of the manuscript published in the proceedings of the 10th RSI International Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (ICRoM 2022), Nov. 15-18, 2022, Tehran, Ira

Physiological-based Driver Monitoring Systems: A Scoping Review

A physiological-based driver monitoring system (DMS) has attracted research interest and has great potential for providing more accurate and reliable monitoring of the driver’s state during a driving experience. Many driving monitoring systems are driver behavior-based or vehicle-based. When these non-physiological based DMS are coupled with physiological-based data analysis from electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), electrocardiography (ECG), and electromyography (EMG), the physical and emotional state of the driver may also be assessed. Drivers’ wellness can also be monitored, and hence, traffic collisions can be avoided. This paper highlights work that has been published in the past five years related to physiological-based DMS. Specifically, we focused on the physiological indicators applied in DMS design and development. Work utilizing key physiological indicators related to driver identification, driver alertness, driver drowsiness, driver fatigue, and drunk driver is identified and described based on the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-Sc) Framework. The relationship between selected papers is visualized using keyword co-occurrence. Findings were presented using a narrative review approach based on classifications of DMS. Finally, the challenges of physiological-based DMS are highlighted in the conclusion. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-12-020 Full Text: PD

Driver fatigue detection via differential evolution extreme learning machine technique

Fatigue driving (FD) is one of the main causes of traffic accidents. Traditionally, machine learning technologies such as back propagation neural network (BPNN) and support vector machine (SVM) are popularly used for fatigue driving detection. However, the BPNN exhibits slow convergence speed and many adjustable parameters, while it is difficult to train large-scale samples in the SVM. In this paper, we develop extreme learning machine (ELM)-based FD detection method to avoid the above disadvantages. Further, since the randomness of the weight and biases between the input layer and the hidden layer of the ELM will influence its generalization performance, we further apply a differential evolution ELM (DE-ELM) method to the analysis of the driver’s respiration and heartbeat signals, which can effectively judge the driver fatigue state. Moreover, not only will the Doppler radar and smart bracelet be used to obtain the driver respiration and heartbeat signals, but also the sample database required for the experiment will be established through extensive signal collections. Experimental results show that the DE-ELM has a better performance on driver’s fatigue level detection than the traditional ELM and SVM

Real-time drowsiness detection using wearable, lightweight EEG sensors

Driver drowsiness has always been a major concern for researchers and road use administrators. It has led to countless deaths accounting to significant percentile of deaths world over. Researchers have attempted to determine driver drowsiness using the following measures: (1) subjective measures (2) vehicle-based measures; (3) behavioral measures and (4) physiological measures.;Studies carried out to assess the efficacy of all the four measures, have brought out significant weaknesses in each of these measures. However detailed and comprehensive review has indicated that Physiological Measure namely EEG signal analysis provides most reliable and accurate information on driver drowsiness. In this paper a brief review of systems, and issues associated with them has been discussed with a view to evolve a novel system based on EEG signals especially for use in mine vehicles.;The feasibility of real-time drowsiness detection using commercially available, off-the-shelf, lightweight, wearable EEG sensors is explored. While EEG signals are known to be reliable indicators of fatigue and drowsiness, they have not been used widely due to their size and form factor. But the use of light-weight wearable EEGs alleviates this concern. Spectral analysis of EEG signals from these sensors using support vector machines is shown to classify drowsy states with high accuracy.;The system is validated using data collected on 23 subjects in fresh and drowsy states. The EEG signals are also used to characterize the blink duration and frequency of subjects. However, classification of drowsy states using blink analysis is shown to have lower accuracy than that using spectral analysis

Developing Drowsy Driving Mitigation Strategies for Himachal Pradesh

The goal of our project was to develop and improve strategies to mitigate the risks associated with drowsy driving in Himachal Pradesh, India. Government data and anecdotal evidence suggest drowsy driving is a significant problem. To achieve our goal, we interviewed local bus and taxi drivers to identify drowsiness prevention strategies and understand ways to improve those strategies. Based on the data, we created four distinct prototypes to address drowsy driving: 1. A facial recognition device to detect drowsiness, 2. A blue-light system to reduce melatonin production in drivers, 3. Flavored taffies to keep drivers awake, 4. A portable and comfortable seat cover. We recommend further improvement to these prototypes, as well as policies to allow drivers to get more rest off duty

An In-Vehicle Vision-Based Driver's Drowsiness Detection System

[[abstract]]Many traffic accidents have been reported due to driver’s drowsiness/fatigue. Drowsiness degrades driving performance due to the declinations of visibility, situational awareness and decision-making capability. In this study, a vision-based drowsiness detection and warning system is presented, which attempts to bring to the attention of a driver to his/her own potential drowsiness. The information provided by the system can also be utilized by adaptive systems to manage noncritical operations, such as starting a ventilator, spreading fragrance, turning on a radio, and providing entertainment options. In high drowsiness situation, the system may initiate navigation aids and alert others to the drowsiness of the driver. The system estimates the fatigue level of a driver based on his/her facial images acquired by a video camera mounted in the front of the vehicle. There are five major steps involved in the system process: preprocessing, facial feature extraction, face tracking, parameter estimation, and reasoning. In the preprocessing step, the input image is sub-sampled for reducing the image size and in turn the processing time. A lighting compensation process is next applied to the reduced image in order to remove the influences of ambient illumination variations. Afterwards, for each image pixel a number of chrominance values are calculated, which are to be used in the next step for detecting facial features. There are four sub-steps constituting the feature extraction step: skin detection, face localization, eyes and mouth detection, and feature confirmation. To begin, the skin areas are located in the image based on the chrominance values of pixels calculated in the previous step and a predefined skin model. We next search for the face region within the largest skin area. However, the detected face is typically imperfect. Facial feature detection within the imperfect face region is unreliable. We actually look for facial features throughout the entire image. As to the face region, it will later be used to confirm the detected facial features. Once facial features are located, they are tracked over the video sequence until they are missed detecting in a video image. At this moment, the facial feature detection process is revoked again. Although facial feature detection is time consuming, facial feature tracking is fast and reliable. During facial feature tracking, parameters of facial expression, including percentage of eye closure over time, eye blinking frequency, durations of eye closure, gaze and mouth opening, as well as head orientation, are estimated. The estimated parameters are then utilized in the reasoning step to determine the driver’s drowsiness level. A fuzzy integral technique is employed, which integrates various types of parameter values to arrive at a decision about the drowsiness level of the driver. A number of video sequences of different drivers and illumination conditions have been tested. The results revealed that our system can work reasonably in daytime. We may extend the system in the future work to apply in nighttime. For this, infrared sensors should be included.