We’ve uploaded a new PANACEA video to our YouTube channel showing the PANACEA solution in practice.

In this episode, we talk to Prof Ashleigh Filtness from Loughborough University about how the Panacea project is developing countermeasures to help professional drivers stay fit to drive.

An update from the project leaders Anna Anund and Katerina Touliou.

We are pleased to report significant progress in our PANACEA platform development. Over the past two years, our partners have been working diligently on defining technical and functional specifications, the technologies per Use Case, as well as identifying the data characteristics. The integration process for each Use Case is well underway, with technical verification and validation already started.

Data gathering on the accuracy and appropriateness of each technology for the CHTs (Commercial Health Toolkits) is done, researching the state-of-the-art in the field. The development team has made a decision to strive towards using more suitable metrics, taking into consideration the integration of sensors.

In addition to this, the PANACEA cloud-based countermeasure system is under development and the evaluation framework has been defined. We have recently completed simulator studies on fatigue, distraction, and alcohol to support the development and refinement of the algorithms. An evaluation of the drugs biosensor in real operational settings has been done on almost 600 drivers by police officers in Norway by our partner ROADPOL.

Our UC-driven pilots are currently in the final stages of integration and we are excited about the outcome of PANACEA. We aim to create new assessment technologies and countermeasure strategies, which will form a new fitness to drive paradigm applicable in commercial vehicle operations with vehicles at various automation levels.

Update on the Work Packages

PANACEA project partners have been working hard delivering the work required of them under the project’s various Work Packages. Many of the PANACEA deliverables are confidential and therefore cannot be published in full. However, a summary of all the deliverables submitted to the European Commission so far are now available on our website here. These include: Deliverable 2.1 which describes the functional and operational requirements of all the subsystems that form part of the PANACEA platform; Deliverable 3.1 which describes the types and sources of measurements needed in order to form a holistic Fitness to Drive assessment; Deliverable 5.1 which describes the prototype operational cloud-based coaching and support system.

Use Case A – Shuttle buses, Linköping, Sweden

The baseline data collection started in April. During this time, eight shuttle operators will be using a smart-watch to register sleep, the Sensair sensor to detect alcohol, the AIT sensor to detect stress and the Datik system to detect fatigue. After four weeks, the countermeasures will be activated and the full PANACEA system will be up and running. 

Use Case B – Delivery service riders and taxi drivers, Thessaloniki, Greece and Graz, Austria

We have already completed a simulator study committed to improving the accuracy of the Driver Monitoring System algorithm in detecting cognitive distraction.

We are currently conducting experiments to collect data and refine our algorithms to combat impairing conditions such as fatigue, stress and alcohol consumption in delivery service riders and taxi drivers.

Our PANACEA solution is set to undergo its final performance evaluation in just three months and we are eager to evaluate its usability, usefulness, and acceptance by commercial drivers and riders, as well as operators and managers.

The PANACEA solution will detect and monitor fatigue, stress and alcohol consumption, as well as drugs and deliver relevant countermeasures.

To ensure that our technology is effective and relevant to the transportation industry, we will be conducting focus groups and interviews with stakeholders and investigating the transferability of our findings to other transportation areas as well as analysing impact assessment simulations and calculations focused on road safety and the ‘Vision Zero’ impact areas.

Use Case C – Electric truck and coach drivers, San Sebastian, Spain

In Spain, the focus will be on analysing risky situations due to fatigue and offering countermeasures to mitigate for them. The pilots are due to start very shortly. In the meantime, the last details are being refined so that data capture can begin.