REViVe: Development of a reactive environmental vigilance in-vehicle system to mitigate drowsiness-induced inattention during automated driving

With monotonous or conditionally automated driving conditions that may lead to the degradation of driver vigilance and increase the risk of drowsy driving, it is crucial to implement advanced systems that assist drivers in returning to a state of optimal driving readiness. While these systems have shown significant effects in reducing the risks related to drowsy driving, most warning systems heavily rely on auditory and visual sensory channels. These modalities are susceptible to “alarm fatigue” due to frequent and annoying alarms, which may lead drivers to ignore or deactivate the systems entirely, thus rendering them less suitable for preemptive cautionary warnings. To address these limitations, a Reactive Environmental Vigilance in-Vehicle (REViVe) system was developed to counteract driver drowsiness by utilizing alternative sensory modalities. A total of 35 drivers were divided into three condition groups: olfactory, climate, and control. To evaluate the effectiveness of the system, five dependent measurements were analyzed: time taken for PERCLOS to return to baseline and engagement index to measure salient effect; time interval between drowsiness events and peripheral detection task score difference to measure sustained arousal effect; and satisfaction rating to measure driver acceptability. Both the olfactory and climate REViVe systems showed potential as effective preemptive warnings compared to control. With REViVe, drowsy drivers quickly returned to an awake state and sustained vigilance significantly longer than control, while driver satisfaction was positive. Thus, the REViVe system provides a balanced solution for alert functionality and driving experience, suggesting a novel approach to designing preemptive warning systems.