GW receives funding to develop AI systems to help people with health problems drive safely

WASHINGTON (February 18, 2021) – She was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 23, and doctors told Megan Gray that she would never be able to drive again. She started relying on family companies, friends and sharing to get around, but quickly realized there was too much worry and expense. With this loss of independence, Gray began to start Moment AI, a technology company that aimed to develop artificial intelligence systems that detect, monitor and analyze the health inequalities of people who happening on the road.

Moment AI is now partnering with Samer Hamdar, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at George Washington University, to launch a project aimed at developing AI systems that could one day prevent health-related traffic accidents, including those related to stress.

“My first experience with seizures was motivated by stress and the disorder eventually affected my ability to drive,” Gray said. advanced driver support system technologies that can help find my captures, I started Moment AI. This collaboration with Dr. Hamdar us a step further and may help increase road safety. “

Hamdar and his team at GW create high-quality data and video data using drive simulators, and then train and test advanced AI systems to predict and detect anomalies. health and medical events caused by stress, such as driver fatigue; driver arrest; driver stroke; and a sudden heart attack on a driver, all of which can contribute to or even cause traffic accidents.

“Mobility and some key services should be available to everyone, including those with health problems and challenging work environments,” Hamdar said. “Moment AI is a unique project: it highlights the need for transport equality and builds on a personal story to launch an academic / business partnership that can have a profound impact on the lives of many in need. “

Hamdar is the director of the GW Transport Program Center for Intellectual Systems Research. He is working with a number of GW students, including both graduate and undergraduate students, on this project. In addition to this project, the program will explore the theory and safety of traffic flow, driver behavior modeling, pedestrian detection and modeling, transportation technology, the introduction of autonomous vehicles, and systems sustainability. transport.

Eventually, Hamdar and his team hope to create a prototype of an internal AI system that could begin to detect a health problem, then take control of the car and direct it to a safe place on it. road side.

For Gray, the ultimate goal is to increase driver safety.

“We hope to reduce the health risks posed by stress and reduce the driving restrictions placed on people with a disorder,” said Gray. “Driving is about independence. And when more people can drive, more people can work and contribute to society. “

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