Spy car is watching you
16 September 2005
From the outside it's an ordinary Ford Mondeo. But hidden cameras, radar and eye-tracking gear make this a gadget-packed car that James Bond would be proud to drive.
Antenna warning; no more distracted driving and fuel-guzzling behaviour - this car is watching you!
Image: Institute for Transport Studies
GPS equipment in the back of the car.
Image: Institute for Transport Studies
Scientists installed an undercover camera on the car. Scanning the lane from the kerb to the white line, it checks if you're drifting dangerously. Digital cameras and radar keep your traffic neighbours under surveillance and a GPS pinpoints your position to within a metre. |
The eye-tracking equipment follows the driver's gaze as he moves around.
Image: Seeing Machines
But it's not just the car under scrutiny - your driving is also put to the test. Gear changes and pedal pushing are monitored by measuring the angle of the gear stick or pedal so it can tell which gear you're in and how fast you're accelerating. Covert eye-tracking cameras follow your pupils to see if you're paying attention or dozing at the wheel. |
Image: Institute for Transport Studies
Most modern cars already have their own computer network monitoring them. In the spy car the scientists have tapped into this system to monitor the speed, power and temperature of the engine. They can see if the engine is getting too much or too little fuel. |
Image: Institute for Transport Studies
And the exhaust can't escape scrutiny either - carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons are all monitored. Carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons are measured using infrared light, while oxides of nitrogen are detected using a sensor fitted into the exhaust pipe. |
Scientists kitted out this car with gadgets to discover how we can drive more safely and in a more environmentally friendly way. Using the car has thrown up some interesting results...
We are underestimating how much pollution there is in car exhausts...
'Standard tests for car emissions don't reflect real-world driving. In standard tests the car is driven at a series of steady speeds and accelerations. But real drivers are more erratic; sometimes more cautious, sometimes more aggressive. When driving is jerky the car engine's emissions go up.'
Karl Ropkins, pollution researcher, ITS
Karl Ropkins, pollution researcher, ITS
Map of carbon dioxide coming from the car exhaust as it drives around the block.
Large circles = more carbon dioxide.
Image: Institute for Transport Studies
A 'cold start' is bad news...
'When you turn your car on in the morning the catalyst on your exhaust is cold and in the first few minutes it emits a lot of pollutants until it warms up. We've measured the amount of emissions during the 125 seconds of a cold start. Once the car has warmed up the emissions drop back to just 5 or 10 per cent of these levels'.
Karl Ropkins
Karl Ropkins
A spy car fitted with an eye-tracker... what's that all about?
'We used the eye-tracker to monitor driver distraction. Normally drivers look ahead but sometimes things inside or outside the car distract them. When drivers looked at the GPS navigational system in our car they slowed down or sped up a little and they swerved a bit too.'
Frank Lai, driver safety researcher, ITS
Frank Lai, driver safety researcher, ITS
Image: Seeing Machines
That's worrying! There seem to be more and more gadgets in our cars clamouring for our attention: DVDs, navigations systems, proximity alarms...
'Yes, but as our cars fill up with more stuff to distract us, gadgets can also help to take some of the burden. In 30 or 40 years' time the driver may not need to drive at all - they might just monitor the car's systems. They'll just get in the car, say where they want to go and an alarm will tell them if there is a problem.'
Frank Lai
Frank Lai