Biometrics in Driving: Transforming Automotive UX and Human-Machine Interaction

dbacic47
May 14
5 min read

Author: Haley Salas

Biometrics have become integrated into everyday life – from security, to smartphones, to banking, to grocery shopping. With sensors and cameras everywhere nowadays, the likelihood of having your biometric data stolen and recorded is extremely high. Innovation using this technology, however, is at its peak – the automotive industry is showing some of the most promising enhancements to our everyday modes of transportation. Recently, biometrics have been used to improve vehicle security, machine learning for autonomous vehicles, and driver detection and identification. As seen with the surge of hybrid and self-driving vehicles, the technology that stands to be created within the automotive industry is rapidly evolving. And though the concern of privacy remains at large, the capabilities that come with properly utilizing biometric data are endless. The impact of biometrics on driving, thus far, has proven to be beneficial for efficiency and accessibility in the ever-changing world we live in. The future of driving lies in the enhanced safety, personalization, and security that comes with leveraging biometric data to optimize vehicular performance and customization.

Automotive Biometrics: Key Modalities and Applications

Biometrics refer to the observed biological and behavioral characteristics used for the recognition of individuals, primarily in cases of security and statistical analyses of biological data. Common biometric characteristics include fingerprints, iris patterns, facial expressions, and skin conductance (sweat). These characteristics, also called modalities, are frequently used in identification, authentication, and access control. Within the realm of automobiles, biometrics are often implemented for vehicle access, personalized driver settings, enhanced security features, and driver monitoring systems. These systems detect drivers’ appropriate fitness to operate a vehicle. Behavioral biometrics, using facial and voice recognition and iris patterns, help vehicle manufacturers register drivers’ wellness to ensure they are capable of getting behind the wheel. In other cases, biometrics are used as a security measure to allow drivers to access and use their vehicles with a limited risk of vehicular theft. Optical sensors and fingerprint scanners are the most widely used measures to authenticate users within automobiles. The ridges and valleys that form the main pattern of a fingerprint are captured by numerous sensors placed on start buttons and door handles, along with aforementioned optical sensors, which fill in the biometric gaps that are left with the fingerprint sensors. Facial recognition is also common in vehicle security as the users’ facial geometry is captured and stored during the registration process of the security system.

Personalization and Safety: How Biometrics Enhance the Driving Experience

While the personalized experience is a bonus for car owners, the safety enhancements that are implemented using biometrics play a key role in the innovation of biometrics within automobiles. Driver preferences are met with the automation of car settings, such as preferred routes or climate control, upon entering a vehicle. The automation minimizes distractions for the driver while preparing to get on the road. When approaching and entering the vehicle, facial recognition and fingerprint scanning authenticate user identities. Facial geometry and fingerprint imaging ensure drivers are authorized users and allow them to utilize certain functions within the automobile. These resources were intended to make the process of preparing for a drive seamless and efficient. By doing so, distractions and resulting accidents are prevented in the long run. South Korean brand, Hyundai Motor Company, is most well-known for first implementing biometrics within their automobiles with their Genesis line of vehicles. Automobiles start using fingerprint scanners that authenticate car users’ identities, preventing theft if left unlocked. Other manufacturers such as Kia and Mercedes-Benz have also taken a step into biometrics within their products, utilizing similar technology, as well as grip detection within steering wheels to help improve driver awareness and develop other automatic measures.

The Car as a Smart Device: Biometrics and the Rise of Automated Driving

While self-driving vehicles have stirred much controversy since their conception, advancements in the realm of driving automation have rapidly progressed. The main purpose of automated driving vehicles (ADVs) is to lighten the workload of humans on the road and thus reduce accident rates altogether. ADVs also stand to remain useful as they serve as a mode of transportation for those who are handicapped and incapable of operating a vehicle normally. In tandem with AI and machine learning, manufacturers are slowly but surely increasing the safety of driving with the ability of a vehicle to react to inaction driver behavior. While these innovations are rapidly progressing, there is still significant work to be done and time before they will become standard in most, if not all, vehicles.

Challenges of Automotive Biometrics: Privacy, Reliability, and Accessibility

With all the emerging advancements within biometrics and the automotive industry, numerous challenges need to be addressed before the standardization. The main concerns that impact this development include privacy and data security, reliability during various weather conditions, and affordability and accessibility concerns. Questions regarding the storage, maintenance, and protection of identifying biometric data are likely to arise given the implementation of biometric authorization in vehicles at a larger scale. End-to-end encryption would be useful to overcome this challenge and ensure that companies comply with data privacy regulations and standards. Like all new technology, there are external conditions that impact the usability of biometrics. Weather, unforeseen circumstances, or even bad lighting conditions could affect the usefulness of biometric access within automobiles. To ensure consistent application, manufacturers would need to identify ways to combat these issues in order to push for widespread adoption. Lastly, the cost of manufacturing for these features lessens the likelihood of standardization simply due to a smaller market for the product. Before this could be standardized, the systems in place would somehow need to become more affordable and more accessible to a larger demographic. By addressing these concerns, automobile companies are on the path to success in standardizing the use of biometrics within vehicles.

Emerging Biometric Trends: Emotion Detection, Voice Recognition, and Health Monitoring in Cars

As safety and authentication have been the driving force for the evolution of automobile biometrics, new applications and enhancements stand to mold the future of the industry. Advanced emotion detection, multi-factor authentication, health monitoring, voice recognition, and commercial vehicle applications are the future of biometrics and driving on a larger scale. Emotion detection, voice recognition, and health monitoring aim to analyze individuals’ health data and facial expressions to personalize user experience and control, as well as provide insights and alerts based on a user’s capabilities to operate a vehicle in various settings – think intoxication, after surgeries, or stressful situations. By combining all these metrics, multi-factor authentication is implemented to enhance the security of the vehicle and ultimately, the user’s data. On commercial applications, the standardization of biometrics within personal vehicles would help streamline the benefits and understanding of biometrics in company vehicles, as well as logistics and public transportation. On a larger scale, biometric implementation would lessen the risk of internal loss for a company with enhanced driver safety, productivity, and accountability of its vehicles. Barriers to these developments will likely hinder their standardization by about 5 to 10 years, as new technologies are still being integrated within the industry.

Conclusions

Advancements in biometrics and driving will revolutionize roadways and traffic flows, but will also play a large role in the development of different infrastructures globally. The automotive industry presents a promising and timely evolution, and the implementation of biometrics on a widespread level would revolutionize driving through personalization, enhanced security, and responsive safety measures. In the next 50 years, cars may serve purposes similar to those of your smartphone to some extent. As AI and machine learning develop, the training and resulting responsiveness of vehicles will provide users with interactive and adaptive experiences. With the uncertainties pertaining to AI and its ethical implications, manufacturers will need to find a balance between innovation and responsibility.