A wireless steering wheel gripping sensor for hands on/off detection

We present a wireless hands on/off and position detection sensor for steering wheels, which may be used as an additional input for driver state detection systems for psychological studies. The sensing principle is based on capacitive sensing. For the capacitive sensor front end inkjet-printing technology is utilized to manufacture the sensor mats. The flexibility of the sensor node in terms of power supply, data transmission and energy management enables the sensor to be fully integrated inside a steering wheel or retrofit for in-car use. The experiments are carried out on a driving simulator platform providing a realistic virtual traffic environment.