Voice control driver Gizmo can cut distractions.

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How motorists use proliferating several personal electronic devices while driving, scientists look for ways to reduce the distraction factor. One way is the voice control technology that can use some day permit drivers to the devices by private treaty.

By Dan Carney, NBCNews-Le
Personal electronic devices in cars have increased, and attempts with the corresponding increase in crashes as a result of motorists while driving using the gadgets, automaker voice control have touted as the solution, the driver safely enable text, tweet and update their Facebook pages to inform the world of the amazing fact, that are in the Act of driving to work.

The problem with the concept of which is voice control as a cure-all for distraction, that it is assumed that by voice command tries electronic devices is not disruptive. "It of a great concept, and used in the right way, that is it can work well", said Bruce Mehler, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of technology.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is aware that poorly designed language interface is distracted, so the Agency has announced that it 2014 to issuing rules for automobile voice command systems in the year. So far, no one has determined what kind of system is less confusing, and what more distracting.

MIT researchers are working with a security based collaborative research center Toyota's in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to find the answer to the question. Their first goal is most important engineer Jim Foley according to CSRC, establishing the metrics that the workload be measure with the operation of a voice command system.

Overall aim of the project is some concrete information about what works and what does not, to the Federal Republic rules can help, when they come out to produce.

This team has equipped, to monitor drivers eyes when they see the road a car with cameras. Subjects are also wired with a heart rate monitor and an instrument which galvanic skin response (such as a lie detector), to determine their stress levels. Researchers study the driver, while they perform tasks such as changing radio stations. The scientists will monitor the driver while they use physical controls and voice control.

The researchers have also a test in which they read off a list of numbers and the driver has to repeat a certain number from the list. Repeat the last number is a small burden for the brain. But the latest number asks a driver, to repeat the number that precedes cranks up the load on the brain "moderate"; When the driver asked call back number that this number is prefixed, which results in a high cognitive workload.

This procedure can researchers measure the impact of the hard work by the brain on driving technique, so if they interface find voice models, which have a similar, like the subjects of heart rates and reaction has galvanic skin, they, the deterioration can predict the ability that leads to drive.

Under normal conditions to respond, almost a full second taking same driver react when the driver calls to the number before the last number read to repeat it in a simple reaction time test, which the average driver about a second takes two-thirds. At 60 mph a car travels 29 feet, while, that a second, underlines additional third the need for a fast response.