OMRON Corporation said it is putting artificial intelligence to work to promote automotive safety during CES 2018. The technology company put on display a number of AI advancements at its booth, which included a combination of AI, machine learning, and facial recognition technology designed to help keep drivers safe.

The company's driver seat demo at CES was designed to provide a hands-on experience with its system that the company says is the world's first for the detection of early-stage drowsiness through the measurement of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) without the need for a special device.

The VOR technology can reportedly detect early-stage signs of drowsiness by sensing eye movements using a remotely installed automotive camera.  OMRON says that its technology is different from other systems because they typically observe blinking to detect drowsy driving, while OMRON's new technology observes a reflex motion that is difficult for drivers to control: the correlation between head and eye movements.

This technology enables simultaneous measurement of the driver's gaze angle and 3D eye position using a single camera for precise gaze detection with accuracy of ± 1 degree. By understanding where the driver is looking OMRON's VOR system can reportedly detect signs of drowsiness one to two minutes before the driver is even aware he or she feels sleepy.

These new technologies are based on OKAO Vision, OMRON's facial recognition technology.

"Artificial intelligence identifies the expression and attitude of the driver and analyzes that data over time to determine if the driver is paying attention to the road or incapacitated. The car can accordingly enact safety measures, like automatic control, warnings or actions to make our roads safer," said Deron Jackson, Chief Technical Officer of OMRON Adept Technologies

Visit OMRON's booth, #25541, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.