Conclusions and Future Works - Artificial Human Sensors: Science and Applications - page 188

continuous effect of developing the perception abilities. The need to continouosly
focus, adapting and coping with new challenges originating in the environment
is obvious. Thus, the tendency is predicting toward one direction, that is crys-
tallised from past experience and existing needs, indicating the decrease of sens-
ing performance in the human perceptual ability. This ongoing effect has probably
proceeded for generations back in time. This paradox will then consequently in-
dicate that when relying on complementary information in conjunction with the
human senses, a continuous slow and degradating effect will most likely occur in
the human perceptual sensing capability. The smarter the artificial sensor systems
are, the less the individual will have to rely on its own sensing capabilities and
strengthen its abilities.
The following examples consider different aspects of using artificial human-
based sensors that may be of importance to describe the latency of a supportive
artificial system. The first aspect points at the natural degradation consisted in
a population. Another aspect, however, is the psychological impact of trusting
artificial systems, revealling a lack of strengthening the individual's perceptual
ability.
Drivers are often aware of their own signals that indicate fatigue while driving.
However, a driver often underestimates the risks involved when she is tired. On
the other hand, car drivers may, when not focussed, overestimate their ability to
control an arising situation. Therefore, dedicated artificial information to support
drivers in these situations seems to be a potential countermeasure to help support
the driver's ability to increase her awareness. Such information should aim to
complement the driver's own awareness of the risks of driving when fatigued.
These systems aims to provide relevant and time related information. This effect
may result in a psychological feeling of trust to the system without considering the
limitations in the specific performance.
A study in Sweden, Anund (2004), revealed that there were differences
between groups of drivers, regarding health, sleeping habits, impression of dif-
ferent fatigue-inducing factors and countermeasure preferences. Young drivers
and professional drivers seemed to be the drivers who are more at risk of fatigue-
related accidents.
A study in USA by Newman (2004) reported that three times more men than
women reported falling asleep while driving.
The need of making drivers realise the safety aspects due to fatigue-related
situations have forced a safety concept to be introduced by car manufacturers to
increase their efforts in finding effective counter measures.
The active system detects the driver's behaviour and monitors the car's move-
ment in order to assess whether the vehicle is in a normal controlled driving phase,
or if the system, i.e., driver and car, behave in an unstructured or uncontrolled
manner.
The upcoming trend of these systems seems rather to monitor the driving
behaviour instead of the human behaviour, due to an increased reliability in the
limited performance of an artificial system. Of course the individual's behaviour