Automakers have been designing vehicles with safety in mind in the last years and, according to recent articles, a new auto safety technology will be able to analyze the driver’s facial expressions to learn more about distractions and how to determine whether the driver is paying attention to the road ahead or daydreaming.

According to recent articles, scientists at the Transportation Center and Signal Processing 5 Laboratory of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in conjunction with PSA Peugeot Citroën have introduced a new study that will develop the technology that will use a camera to capture the driver’s face while behind the wheel. The software would process the expressions on the motorist’s face and look for signals that would determine whether the driver is inattentive. Other signs would also be observed to identify if the driver is not entirely up to the task. Drowsiness, impairment and other distractions will also be evaluated by this software.

According to the scientists working on this project, the computer vision technologies will help to improve driver safety and ride quality, which could also improve the overall road safety in the future.

Scientists reported that facial-recognition technology has been implemented in several other fields like social media data mining and surveillance. Now, this technology could be implemented to keep drivers and passengers safe.

The automaker PSA Peugeot Citroën is urging the automobile industry to develop more safety technologies like the one the company is developing.

According to the news, the company is working to develop an interface that will make the interaction between the driver and the vehicle more intuitive. The system would eventually read the driver’s intentions with the help of his or her facial expressions and work with the vehicle’s software to prevent collisions.

Hopefully, more automakers like the PSA Peugeot Citroën and independent scientists and engineers will work to develop safety technologies and devices that would help to improve road and car safety.

For more on this new technology and how it could be groundbreaking in the developing of new technologies, click here to learn more.