The new Magna paradigm for driver monitoring systems

Road accidents kill more than two people a minute around the world, according to the latest WHO road safety report.

Some 53% of all road traffic fatalities are vulnerable road users including: pedestrians (23%); riders of powered two- and three-wheelers such as motorcycles (21%); cyclists (6%); and users of micro-mobility devices such as e-scooters (3%).

Human error is the cause of most of the accidents. Driver monitoring systems (DMS) are being introduced to reduce the carnage.

Automotive Industries (AI) found out more about the development of DMS systems from Tom Herbert, Product Manager Interior Sensing at Magna Electronics and Tobias Aderum, Director Innovation and Research at Magna Electronics.

AI: In what way is your driver monitoring system enhancing driver experiences?

Herbert: This is the question we continuously ask ourselves in order to continue evolving and improving our systems.

The better we understand the human machine interface between the car and driver, the more we can do to provide warnings and the information required to improve the performance of the person behind the wheel.

We always start with safety – distraction and drowsiness are the most common causes of accidents.

It is estimated that 10% of all road accident fatalities happen because of distraction events.

The data is not clear about whether that percentage is increasing, but what we do know is that trend of people using phones while driving has increased.

Drowsiness, although difficult to pinpoint as a root cause, is likely to be close to the same level as distraction in terms of fatalities.

A key objective is to promote driver awareness in order to reduce accidents. In the future, a potential solution could be a personally tailored passive restraint system.

We also need to look beyond the driver.

There are around 1.2 million road fatalities a year globally. About 50% of those casualties are what we call vulnerable road users

So, we are also looking at the safety of the vulnerable road users – the pedestrian who gets run over because the driver is texting while on the move.

Inside the car we are moving towards personalization. Using the camera to identify the driver we can personalize settings from the radio through to temperature control in the future.

Personalization includes adapting systems such as airbags to the person according to their weight and height – all with the permission of the person.

The camera can also act as anti-theft device or prevent youngsters from taking the car for a joy ride if it does not recognize the driver.

Lastly, performance plays a role in enhancing the driver and passenger experience.

By utilizing human-machine interface (HMI) technology, we can better understand the intent of drivers and passengers and provide more intuitive support.

For example, distinguishing between a passenger texting and a driver needing assistance can result in more tailored and effective support.

AI: What are the competitive advantages / differentiators of the system?

Herbert: We have changed our thinking about automotive systems. Think of the exterior of the vehicle, where vision cameras are now supported by radar, LiDar and other sensors. Together they provide a new level of safety.

We are following the same thinking from an interior standpoint.

Our interior sensing systems team changing the perception that we from we are a one trick camera company that makes a driver monitoring system to one that provides a holistic solution for monitoring what is happening inside with the driver and passengers, including a kid left in the car.

Our competitive advantage is therefore that we ensure that our systems are robust.

We can handle all the edge cases. There are billions of different ways people exist in the world.

They wear hats, gloves, masks and change their hair styles. Our systems can cater for all those variables.

AI: What unique features are you offering with DMS in terms of packaging and styling improvements?

Herbert: That is one of our biggest, unique selling points. The interoperability between the various companies in the Magna Group gives us a huge packaging advantage.

Our breakthrough was being able to mount the DMS camera on the mirror, which has the best view of the interior of the car.

No one thought the DMS could be mounted on the mirror, because it moves.

So, the camera must be able to adjust.

In addition, we now have applications for the center stack and the steering wheel, which are primarily focused on the driver.

Moreover, it is important to note that our expertise in developing Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) over the past decade has provided us with invaluable knowledge.

It is more than just a drop-in camera; understanding optics and their applications in various trim settings, as well as optimizing illumination for both nighttime and bright sunlit conditions, is essential.

With this understanding, we can add significant value to our customers’ integration efforts, regardless of where they intend to implement this technology within the vehicle.

AI: Does your solution meet future Euro NCAP and GSR requirements?

Herbert: When you talk about your NCAP today, like distraction, drowsiness, and driver availability, we do.

Moving forward to 2026 and beyond, their goals include a range of factors such as occupant classification, seatbelt usage (including misuse), driver impairment, system robustness, and addressing stress and cognitive distraction.

The kicker that is a little further is to detect when a driver is looking at the road, but is not engaged.

An understanding of your stress and cognitive levels is going to be key.

NCAP points are awarded for how the OEM provides a warning and not just the detection of driver distraction.

We work a lot with OEMs to determine how to alert the driver.

But, I never want to claim that we are the only ones providing a solution. There are also software companies and the OEMs who are collaborating to improve safety.

AI: When it comes to integration with other ADAS vehicle technologies, can DSM contribute to new mobility concepts?

Herbert: We see it as a diagram with three circles which align with each other.

And is the human, another the vehicle and the third the environment.

To make the system work, the DMS must connect all three elements.

AI: What are the advantages of your Collective Perception concept?

Aderum: When vehicles are talking to each other, our cameras solve a lot of traffic problems.

The advantage is to increase collaboration in traffic. Today we have problems with congestion.

Some 10 to 20% of crashes are linked to long line of sight conditions.

Connected perception enables vehicles to share information with each other based on what the sensors are saying about traffic and road conditions ahead.

And we can also add other sources of data for better contextual understanding that will also help the intelligence of the system.

We need to be able to warn when a scooter is coming around a corner or a pedestrian is about to step in front of the car.

AI: How does your thermal sensing system detect objects and enable driver perception beyond headlight range?

Aderum: Thermal sensing is passive. Humans average 37 degrees Celsius, which gives us a quite distinct signature to the environment.

Especially in darkness. Where the vision sensors depend on headlight illumination, the thermal system can detect pedestrians from a long distance.

This is important since we see nighttime fatalities in traffic with vulnerable road users going up.

Thermal sensing can therefore help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities, which are increasing. It supplements the existing cameras and radars.

AI: Does Magna offer full system integration?

Aderum: Meeting the requirements for software defined vehicles is one of our strengths.

Magna is in a unique position because we offer a full portfolio of components such as cameras, radars, ultrasonics, in cabin sensing, and controllers.

We also have ADAS domain systems and software for the full stack integration up to driving policy features,

but also extending to integrated systems where the centralized architecture allows cross-domain like IVI and PT for Software Defined Vehicles.

What’s next for Magna Electronics?

Herbert: This industry evolves tremendously fast. Our immediate horizon is six months from here, and then we are on to the next thing.

Aderum:  We can make a huge difference to reducing the 1.2 million fatalities around the world by deploying more cameras, radars, thermal ultrasonic sensors, driver monitoring systems and in-cabin systems.

We have the necessary puzzle pieces to combine systems because Magna collaborates across different areas of the car, in addition to manufacturing vehicle components.

We understand that it is about getting the technology to interact with the humans in such a way that the humans really like to use the technology because they see the benefits.

Herbert: Just to add to that, the key lies in research.

We need to understand how to get humans to trust the systems and how to get the systems to trust the driver.

Magna is a huge organization. So, it really comes down to how we leverage what we know across multiple disciplines.

This requires a system thinking mentality.

Users expect things to work as a system and not as individual components.

PACE Award accolades for Magna

Magna was named a 2024 Automotive News PACE Award winner and received multiple PACEpilot Innovation to Watch recognitions at the awards ceremony on April 29th.

The prestigious PACE Award recognizes automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement, and business performance, while the PACEpilot acknowledges post-pilot, pre-commercial innovations in the automotive and future mobility space.

Magna was the only company to receive both a PACE Award and multiple PACEpilot Innovation to Watch recognitions.

Magna’s Integrated Driver & Occupant Monitoring System, an industry-first solution that integrates an intelligent camera system into the interior mirror to actively detect, predict and react to distracted driving, was one of 13 PACE Award winners out of 33 finalists.

Within the mirror is a high‐resolution camera, infrared emitters, and electronic control unit, while advanced software monitors the movement of the driver’s head, eyes and body in real time to detect distracted behavior, drowsiness and fatigue.

In addition to the PACE Award, Magna received two PACEpilot Innovation to Watch recognitions for the company’s EcoSphere™ 100% Melt-Recyclable Foam and Trim and Modular & Scalable Active Grille Shutter Assembly.