If you go out on the road to get a driver’s license, the instructor who sits in the passenger seat and evaluates quietly will be more worried than the square. But in India, this stress may be reduced. This is because Microsoft Research has developed an app that allows you to monitor the driver’s driving ability using a smartphone and conduct a driving test.
HAMS (Harnessing AutoMobiles for Safety) is a project using smartphones. When mounted on the windshield, the front camera can monitor the driver, and the rear camera can monitor other vehicles and traffic on the road ahead. The HAMS app also utilizes various sensors built into inexpensive smartphones. Among these, it uses an accelerometer to understand how carefully the driver is adjusting the accelerator and brake pedals, and GPS to monitor the vehicle speed during the test.
The HAMS app can install simple tracking markers on the currently set test course, and then evaluate the driver’s driving skills: how safe they are driving, and whether they sufficiently check blind spots. Since the marker is recognized using a smartphone camera, it is also helpful in measuring the location of the car and how close you are to obstacles to avoid.
Microsoft Research is developing to use HAMS even in more complex driving conditions. In the U.S., traffic is higher and variables such as road size and vehicle type differences must be considered.
Anyway, if an automated system like this HAMS judges drivers, the app will be able to judge all drivers fairly without prejudice. Of course, if this happens, another job could possibly disappear through automation. However, according to the U.S. Motor Vehicle Administration, it explains that it does not only evaluate the driver’s functional aspects. Related information can be found here .