In 2025, in-cabin sensing is the underlying foundation needed for legal compliance, semi-autonomous driving, safety ratings, and the premium user experience consumers now expect.
Over the last decade, many auto technologies like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV) have focused on improving safety by increasing situational awareness and automating actions to avoid accidents. This year marks the rise of a new auto safety strategy, in-cabin sensing, that directs attention to the actions of the driver and vehicle occupants.
Several regulatory and safety factors are driving the rising importance of in-cabin sensing. For example, EU General Safety Regulation (GSR) requirements for Advanced Driver Distraction Warning (ADDW) are coming into force for all new vehicles by mid-2026. That means cars launching in 2025 must be equipped and compliant. Child presence detection systems are being encouraged (and may soon be mandated) in the U.S. via proposals like the Hot Cars Act. Additionally, Global New Car Assessment Programs (NCAPs) are making driver and occupant monitoring systems essential for 5-star safety ratings.
Furthermore, in-cabin sensing is intimately tied to increased levels of autonomous driving. For example, semi-autonomous driving systems require constant driver monitoring. Regulators increasingly insist that even if a vehicle is “hands-free,” the driver must stay eyes-on-road. As a result, semi-automated driving is not legally or safely viable without driver and occupant monitoring.
A Closer Look at In-Cabin Sensing
In-cabin sensing systems fall into two general categories. There are driver monitoring systems (DMS) and occupant monitoring systems (OMS). They serve different purposes and use slightly different technologies to achieve their goals.
In general, a DMS assesses the driver’s alertness, attention, and readiness to drive. Core functions typically include:
- Eye tracking to detect gaze direction, blink rate, and drowsiness.
- Head position monitoring to assess whether the driver is facing forward.
- Facial recognition to identify distraction, fatigue, or potential impairment.
- Posture and gesture detection to evaluate if the driver is slouching, nodding off, or using the wheel correctly.
Use cases for DMS include compliance with advanced driver distraction warning (ADDW systems and drowsiness detection regulations (e.g., EU GSR). DMS systems also enable hands-free driving supervision in some model cars. DMS is often used to issue tiered warnings or interventions (e.g., beeping, vibrating seat, automatic deceleration).
Automakers must include a variety of new technologies in the design and development of their vehicles to support and enable DMS systems. Many use cameras and AI/ML models for face and behavior interpretation. Much of the technology is mounted on the steering column or dashboard.
OMS systems complement the capabilities of a DMS system. Such systems monitor all passengers, not just the driver — for safety, comfort, and personalization. They detect who is in a car and where they are sitting. They also detect children and pets to send alerts if a child or pet is left in a hot car. Many confirm who is using a seat belt and bucked in. More sophisticated OMS classify passengers by size, posture, and behavior, which is critical for airbag deployment and crash response.
OMS systems are used for smart airbag deployment (e.g., disabling airbags for small children), informing emergency responders how many people are in the car after an accident, and personalization of seat adjustment, climate control, and media.
Automakers must incorporate a number of technologies to support their OMS systems. Common technologies used include overhead cameras or multiple cabin-facing cameras, pressure sensors in seats, ultrasonic/radar for motion and presence, and more.
Enabling In-Cabin Sensing
DMS and OMS are critical components of next-gen vehicle design, especially as automakers move toward Level 2+ autonomy, where the car needs to know who is inside and what they are doing at all times.
Automakers must also incorporate sophisticated analytics systems into their cars to make sense of all the data produced by cameras and other in-cabin sensors. Most DMS and OMS systems use AI and edge computing to derive insights in near- or real-time so that actions can be taken to safeguard all those in a vehicle as it operates on congested city streets and open highways.
Many are also using advanced sensor fusion technologies that allow them to combine input from multiple sensors (e.g., camera + radar + lidar) to build a more accurate model of the cabin environment.
These technologies help deliver enhanced safe driving capabilities and personalized comfort to all vehicle occupants.
A Final Word
In 2025, in-cabin sensing provided via DMS and OMS systems is the underlying foundation needed for legal compliance, semi-autonomous driving, safety ratings, and the premium user experience consumers now expect.
