Community Stories: Driving Innovation in Fatigue Monitoring

It always amazes us how creative and innovative our community can be. Recently, we learnt about Mr. Martinka, a researcher at the Technical University of Liberec in Czechia, Faculty of Textiles, who has been using Euro Truck Simulator 2 as a key tool in his amazing work on driver fatigue monitoring. By integrating smart t-shirts with sensors to track vital signs, he's using our game to simulate real-world driving conditions and develop cutting-edge safety technology. We're incredibly proud that ETS2 plays a role in advancing research that could make roads safer for everyone, so we decided to find out more from him and present his work to the rest of the community. Let's dive in!

Because testing such technology would be nearly impossible and dangerous in a real vehicle, they needed to find a good substitute. "ETS2 was the simplest and the most practical solution because it mirrors real driving conditions. The game allowed us to simulate fatigue safely. We needed a reliable platform to simulate long hours of driving, and the game provided exactly that," Martinka says, explaining why they chose our game to test their technology.

The testing process took about six months while they were constantly improving the technology. Martinka and his team constructed a simulator using a real car seat and steering wheel in a classroom setting. They mimicked real-life driving schedules, sometimes driving from six in the morning until 2 or 3 pm, logging a maximum of seven hours behind the wheel at a time. "We drove continuously, replicating fatigue-inducing conditions until we were genuinely exhausted and wanted to sleep," he said.

Using this setup, the team monitored breathing patterns to pinpoint when a driver enters microsleep - a dangerous state that can lead to accidents. "While modern cars often feature fatigue sensors, they are not always accurate. Our smart T-Shirt, on the other hand, provides a more reliable solution. The sensors in the T-Shirt are nearly invisible, washable, and far more precise in detecting fatigue than standard car systems," Mr. Martinka shared with us.

This innovative research has already garnered international attention. Martinka and his team have been collaborating with other universities in the Czech Republic and Japan. "This year, we'll spend an entire month at a Japanese university testing the T-Shirt with simulators using ETS2 again," he shared.

Their work is not done yet. Mr. Martinka and his team continue to upgrade the T-Shirt's design based on ongoing tests, as they want to make roads safer for drivers everywhere. We are really proud that our game is used for such a noble cause. Don't forget to follow us on our X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube, so you won't miss out on upcoming news! We'd also really appreciate it if you could sign up for our newsletter to stay informed, even when you're not able to check out the blog or our socials.