Real-time evaluation of driver cognitive loads based on multivariate biosignal analysis

Reduced attentional capacity caused by increased mental workload (MWL) among drivers can cause traffic accidents. Against this background, a method for effective MWL evaluation is required. The proposed method is used to map multidimensional biological signals into a probabilistic space based on a mixed normal distribution model. The load state of the driver is evaluated, and the cognitive load can be determined from a posteriori probability. In the experiments reported here, tasks performed to examine tracking of the vehicle in front and N-Back evaluation helped to clarify the cognitive load of the three subjects, for whom multidimensional biosignal monitoring was performed. The results demonstrated a high correlation between evaluation and NASA-TLX values. In other experiments, increased evaluation values were observed in satnav operation. Accordingly, the proposed method is considered suitable for real-time driver MWL evaluation.