Scientist David Latotzky guides the "Spirit of Berlin" with his eye movements in April. (Gero Breloer / The Associated Press)
Tired of spinning that steering wheel? Try this: German researchers have developed a new technology that lets drivers steer cars using only their eyes.
Raul Rojas, an artificial-intelligence researcher at Berlin's Free University, says the technology tracks drivers' eye movements and, in turn, steers the car in whatever direction they're looking.
Rojas and his team presented the technology-packed prototype in April at an airport in the German capital.
Scientist David Latotzky shows how the eyeDriver software works from the passenger seat of the "Spirit of Berlin."(Gero Breloer / The Associated Press)
The Dodge Caravan crisscrossed the tarmac at the abandoned Tempelhof Airport, its driver using his line of sight to control the car. The car's steering wheel was turning as if guided by ghostly hands.
The technology, called eyeDriver, lets the car drive up to 31 mph. "The next step will be to get it to drive 60 miles per hour," Rojas says.
Ultimately, however, he is aiming for even more. "The biggest challenge is, of course, to drive in a city with pedestrians and lots of obstacles," Rojas says.
For now, exercises remain relatively simple. The Dodge, nicknamed "Spirit of Berlin," can follow a pedestrian or another car across the tarmac. It can even drive backward.
Helmet cam
- Driver David Latotzky drove the car while wearing a bicycle helmet that is key to the functioning of the eyeDriver. A wide-angle camera mounted on top of the helmet monitors the street, while a second infrared camera constantly keeps track of the driver's eye movements. "We chose a bicycle helmet because they're the most ergonomic ones," researcher Paul Rojas says.
- See the "Spirit of Berlin" being driven with no hands.
It's unclear when -- or if -- the technology will be commercialized. Questions about safety and practicability abound: What about looking at a shop window next to the road for a few seconds?
Not to mention taking phone calls or texting while driving?
Researchers say there's more to Spirit of Berlin than just the eyeDriver. It's also equipped with GPS navigation, scores of cameras, lasers and scanners that enable it to drive by itself. It has even been programmed to drive via an iPhone acting as a remote control.
"The car can do everything. It can drive autonomously or it can be guided by a driver's eyes," Rojas says. Researchers envision people using it in a dual mode that has the car driving on its own, basing its decisions on input from scanners and cameras, and requiring the driver to give direction only at crossroads.
"The car stops at intersections and asks the driver for guidance on which road to take," Rojas says. A few seconds of attention, with the driver looking in his desired direction, gets the car going again.
To demonstrate the car's autonomy, Rojas jumped in front of the car -- which was moving at about 10 mph -- and the Dodge immediately stopped, thanks to cameras that had detected him.
"Autonomous driving systems may considerably change our mobility in the future," Rojas says.
Leave a comment