Modern automotive technology can indeed detect driving fatigue through the steering wheel, with its principle mainly based on the combination of steering wheel operation behavior analysis and physiological signal monitoring. The sensors built into the steering wheel can record the steering angle, fine-tuning frequency, and zero-speed percentage (the proportion of time the steering wheel remains stationary) in real time. When the system detects an abnormal increase in steering corrections, the standard deviation of the angle exceeding the threshold, or a significant rise in the zero-speed percentage, it will trigger a primary fatigue warning. More advanced technologies, as described in patent CN110796207B, allow the steering wheel to integrate flexible electrodes to collect the driver's electrocardiographic signals. Through heart rate variability analysis (such as R-R interval fluctuations) combined with steering data and utilizing machine learning models for multi-dimensional cross-validation, the detection accuracy can be improved to over 90%. Some vehicle models also employ top-mounted cameras to simultaneously monitor facial features, but the steering wheel solution is less affected by ambient light due to direct contact with the driver. Currently, premium versions of local market models such as the Proton X70 are equipped with this technology. Note that this system serves as an assistive feature and cannot fully substitute the driver's self-assessment of their condition.
