Measurement of Train Driver’s Brain Activity by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

This paper describes development of a train simulator for human factors, and application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to estimation of drivers’ brain activities during train operation. One of the characteristics of train operation is that the driving tasks tend to be more monotonous than automobile driving. Therefore, train drivers are more strongly urged to avoid human errors. In order to avoid human errors in train operation, it is considered that driving support systems or the like should be developed in consideration of human properties. In developing such systems, it is necessary to identify the relation between train operation and brain activity of the driver. A train simulator designed to evaluate the human factors was developed and cerebral blood flow during train operation was measured using fNIRS. The experiment confirms the difference in drivers’ brain activities between manual and automatic operations. The results suggest that fNIRS can observe brain activation caused by train operation