Overview
Loss of attention when operating vehicles and heavy machinery can have serious consequences in manufacturing, construction, and logistics. Current safety systems typically rely on visible indicators such as facial expression or posture, or intervene once potentially unsafe behaviour is already apparent.
Second Ahead will explore whether changes in an operator’s physiological state can provide earlier warning of emerging risks. Using standard cameras, the system will estimate signals including gaze, pupil diameter, blink rate, and heart-rate variability, and combine these with information about the operator’s surroundings. The six-month sprint will focus initially on forklift operations, developing and testing the system in manufacturing and construction environments. Raw video will be processed locally and discarded, allowing the team to test an approach designed to minimise the privacy implications of workplace monitoring.
Project leads:
Tyler Holderness, Institute for Manufacturing
Florian Urmetzer, Institute for Manufacturing
