CSEM unveils DriverCheck, an AI-powered “guardian angel” for drivers

Neuchâtel’s CSEM has introduced DriverCheck, a breakthrough in-cabin monitoring system designed to detect fatigue, stress, and sudden medical events, without using wearables or transmitting data to the cloud.

Road fatalities in Switzerland have increased by 34% since 2019, a trend that underscores the need for next-generation road safety solutions. While existing vehicle safety systems, such as automatic braking or lane assistance, focus on external factors, CSEM’s DriverCheck addresses what it calls “the last missing link” in automotive safety: the driver’s health.

Using a small camera and advanced artificial intelligence, DriverCheck continuously monitors a driver’s heartbeat, breathing patterns, and alertness. The system can detect early signs of fatigue, stress, or medical distress and respond within seconds. In a critical situation, it can alert the driver or interface with the vehicle’s safety systems to slow down, activate hazard lights, or steer the car to a safe stop.

In trials, DriverCheck achieved heart rate measurements with a margin of error below three beats per minute and identified drowsiness with over 95% accuracy. “DriverCheck acts like a guardian angel—always watching, never intrusive,” said Nadim Maamari, Group Leader for Edge AI & Vision at CSEM. “Our goal is simple: to save lives by intervening 30 seconds before tragedy strikes.”

Detecting early warning signs of health emergencies

The concept has gained renewed urgency following research in Norway, where investigations into fatal road accidents revealed that sudden medical events were “far more common than expected.” DriverCheck directly addresses this underexplored cause of road fatalities by enabling vehicles to detect early warning signs of health emergencies.

Unlike conventional monitoring systems, DriverCheck was engineered with “privacy by design”. It records no personal or biometric data and processes all information locally within the car, ensuring full compliance with Swiss and EU data protection laws.

Offered as a customizable hardware-software kit, DriverCheck is now available for co-development with automakers, suppliers, and fleet operators seeking to make driving safer.