Red Scientific builds visual occlusion goggles and detection response task systems for the test methods in ISO 16673 and ISO 17488. We also conduct applied research on driver distraction and vehicle automation.
Fig. 1 Occlusion cycle Instruments
Each kit ships complete with its controller, response buttons and software. Both connect by USB.
ISO 16673 · Visual demand
Liquid crystal lenses switch between clear and opaque on a fixed schedule, so the participant sees an interface only in short glances. The time the lenses spend open while a task is completed measures its visual demand.
ISO 17488 · Cognitive load
The participant presses a finger switch each time a vibration or light appears, every three to five seconds. Responses slow and misses increase as cognitive load rises. The kit includes all three stimulus types in the standard.
Software
RSLogger is our free data acquisition software for Windows, macOS and Linux. It runs both instruments and records cameras, audio, eye tracking and GPS against the same clock, then writes timestamped CSV files.
Research
We study how in-vehicle technology and vehicle automation affect driver attention, on the road, on the test track and in the simulator. Recent work includes a naturalistic study of drivers using Level 2 automation and evaluations of the visual and cognitive demands of infotainment systems.
Sponsors have included the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, NHTSA and the Utah Department of Transportation.
About
Joel Cooper, PhD, founded Red Scientific in 2015. He earned his doctorate in cognitive psychology at the University of Utah in 2010 and served on its research faculty from 2011 to 2020. His research covers driver distraction, the measurement of cognitive workload, and driver behavior with partial automation.
He has 89 publications, 66 of them peer-reviewed articles and proceedings. Two papers he co-authored received the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society’s Jerome H. Ely Human Factors Article Award, in 2016 and 2025.
Joel designs the instruments, and he is the person who answers when you write.
Customers
Automakers, technology companies, universities, government laboratories and defense research agencies in over a dozen countries have bought or leased our instruments. They include:
Ordering
Each kit carries a two-year warranty, and we ship worldwide. Tell us about your protocol and we will reply with a formal quote, usually within one business day.
