At MWC, team of Indonesian students wows with concept to decrease traffic accidents

A team of Indonesian students presents its Integrated Traffic Safety concept at MWC 2015

A student team from Indonesia is working on an app that aims to reduce the number of traffic accidents worldwide. The upcoming app aggregates real-time traffic and vehicle data (which have been tackled by other apps and gadgets before), but adds a unique component: a brainwave sensor device which monitors the stress levels and alertness of the driver.

The team is currently developing a beta version of the app, which it calls Integrated Traffic System (ITS). Involved in the development of the ITS are Telkom University lecturer Dody Qori Utama and his students Annisa Riyani, Nanda Budi, Masyithah Nur, Febriana Sawitri, Alfian Akbar, and David Mushthofa, as well as neuroscience researcher Dr. Tauhid Nur Azhar, who acts as a mentor to the team.

The app concept got a big boost and some international exposure this week with the team’s participation in the 2015 University Mobile Challenge 2015 at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barecelona, Spain. Defeating teams from elite US universities like Berkeley and MIT, the Indonesian team came in second, local media reported.

Smartphones as safety gizmos for drivers

Mockup of the ITS app

At the heart of ITS is Brainstat, a brain wave sensor which can detect if the driver is fit, tired, or stressed. According to Azhar, the device is based on tech from US manufacturer Neurosky, but uses new algorithms the team has created.

The ITS app and gadget combo aggregates data from multiple sources. “We have three dependent variables to analyse: environmental data like weather, traffic, or obstacles on the road. Vehicle performance data from several sensors, such as engine performance control in trains, cars, or even airplanes. And finally we have Brainstat to measure and evaluate brain performance of the driver or operator,” says Azhar.

All the parts of ITS come together in a mobile app, turning a driver’s phone into an interactive safety manager for car owners or public transport operators.

Although ITS itself is new, “all processes related to the Brainstat system have already been tested in real-life conditions for more than 100 hours and in many kinds of transportation modes,” says Azhar. “As a mentor and inventor of Brainstat, I have a dream that someday it will be a safety device that can help reduce the rate of accidents all over the world.”