Abstract
My technical capstone project and STS research paper are connected through a shared focus on how technological systems interact with human behavior and institutional decision-making to shape safety outcomes. In my technical project, I propose a wearable, multimodal driver monitoring system embedded in a trucker hat that detects fatigue using physiological and behavioral signals. This design constructs a network of human and non-human actors including drivers, trucking companies, sensors, AI algorithms, and regulatory frameworks to improve roadway safety. Similarly, my STS research examines how a different sociotechnical network, Facebook’s platform governance in Myanmar, was shaped by interactions among corporate leaders, algorithms, and users. While the technical project aims to stabilize a safety-oriented system, the STS project analyzes how failures in leadership and ethical decision-making destabilized a system with severe human consequences.
The technical report presents a novel driver monitoring system designed to reduce drowsy driving in long-haul trucking. The system integrates wearable sensors into a trucker hat to measure blinking patterns, heart rate, and head position, using multimodal AI to assess driver alertness in real time. When unsafe fatigue levels are detected, the system provides immediate feedback to the driver, helping prevent accidents before they occur. This approach improves upon existing driver monitoring systems by being non-invasive, continuous, and more accurate due to its multimodal data integration. The design prioritizes both safety and privacy, addressing industry concerns about intrusive monitoring while still achieving reliable detection of driver fatigue.
In contrast, my STS research paper argues that Facebook’s leadership acted immorally during its expansion into Myanmar because it failed to exercise the virtues of prudence, justice, and moral courage. Using a virtue ethics framework, I analyze how corporate decision-making prioritized growth and engagement over user safety, despite clear warnings about the spread of harmful content. The case study of the Rohingya genocide demonstrates that Facebook’s algorithmic systems amplified hate speech, disproportionately harmed a vulnerable population, and were only reformed after significant international pressure. By focusing on leadership character rather than just technical failures, the paper highlights how ethical deficiencies at the decision-making level can shape harmful sociotechnical outcomes.
Working on these two projects simultaneously has reinforced the importance of integrating ethical reflection into technical design. My STS research made it clear that even well-designed technologies can produce harmful outcomes if leaders fail to act responsibly. This insight directly informed my technical project, encouraging me to prioritize not only functionality but also user trust, privacy, and equitable impact. Conversely, designing a real-world system helped ground my STS analysis, illustrating how engineering decisions are always embedded within broader social contexts. Together, these projects demonstrate that successful engineering requires both technical competence and ethical responsibility, particularly when technologies operate within complex human systems.
