Delphi Corporation Selected to Lead Comprehensive Driver Distraction Research Program

KOKOMO, Ind., Oct. 30, 2002 Delphi Corporation has been selected to lead the Department of Transportation's (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) SAfety VEhicles using adaptive Interface Technologies (SAVE-IT) research program. The SAVE-IT program's key objective is to demonstrate a viable proof of concept that is capable of reducing distraction-related crashes and enhancing the effectiveness of collision warning systems. This research program is under the sponsorship and technical direction of NHTSA and will be administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, an agency within the Research and Special Programs Administration.

"Delphi is excited to have this opportunity to work with experts in the field of driver workload management," said Jeff Owens, president of Delphi Delco Electronics Systems. "Delphi's knowledge in the areas of advanced safety warning systems and driver state monitoring, and the skills of the program team will enable members of the SAVE-IT program to develop a system that provides an unprecedented level of human-system integration."

General Motors and Ford Motor Company are members of the program team and will provide an industry perspective to the evaluation of the system. The University of Iowa and The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, both prominent automotive human factors research institutions, are also members of SAVE-IT and offer expertise in the area of human factors innovation. Seeing Machines, Inc. will participate as well with the development of a non-invasive eye-tracking system that will support human factors research and system development.

The three-year program has two development phases, with the first phase focusing on human factors and technology development research. The second phase includes algorithm and guideline development, data fusion, integrated countermeasure development, vehicle demonstration and evaluation of benefit.

The program members will research and develop a closed-loop vehicle environment that not only includes sophisticated telematics, mobile office, entertainment and collision warning systems but also incorporates the state of the driver. This revolutionary closed-loop vehicle environment will be achieved by measuring the driver's state, assessing the situational threat, prioritizing information presentation, providing adaptive countermeasures to minimize distraction and optimizing advanced collision warning.

"The SAVE-IT program will highly leverage Delphi's system expertise and state-of-the-art foundational work in driver state monitoring, sensor suite development, data fusion, advanced human machine interfaces and adaptive integrated safety systems," said Dick Lind, director of Advanced Engineering at Delphi Delco Electronics Systems.

SAVE-IT will provide the initial structure for a uniform system to be implemented across all entities involved in workload management and will enable consistent performance from vehicle to vehicle.

The Volpe National Transportation Systems is an internationally recognized center of transportation and logistics expertise that performs work primarily for the DOT.

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