A man in Zhejiang, China, encountered repeated false alarms from his Xiaomi vehicle’s fatigue detection system during a recent journey.
The AI-powered system mistakenly identified his naturally small eyes as signs of drowsiness.
Driver Faces Over 20 False Alarms Due to Small Eyes
Mr Li was driving his sister’s Xiaomi SU7 Max on Wednesday (18 Jun) when the car began issuing continuous voice alerts saying “Please focus on driving”. The dashboard simultaneously displayed on-screen messages warning him to “Please focus on driving, drive safely”.
Video footage shows Mr Li repeatedly widening his eyes in an attempt to stop the alerts. He tried adjusting his driving position multiple times, but the warnings persisted throughout his journey.
The alerts went off more than 20 times during a single trip. Mr Li said the constant warnings affected his ability to drive normally and described the situation as both ridiculous and frustrating.
Mr Li suspected the problem stemmed from the system failing to recognise his eyes as being open under sunlight conditions.
He discovered that when he forced his eyes wide open, the alerts stopped. However, when he returned to his normal facial expression, the sounds started again.
“Because my eyes are small, it thinks I’m falling asleep,” Mr Li explained.
Mr Li noted that his sister never encounters this problem when driving the same vehicle. The issue only occurs when he drives the car.
Xiaomi’s Fatigue Monitoring Technology and Customer Response
The Xiaomi SU7’s fatigue monitoring system uses a camera mounted on the steering wheel to track driver behaviour. The technology monitors for signs such as closed eyes, head turns, yawning, and phone usage to identify potential fatigue or distraction.
When the system detects concerning behaviour, it issues voice warnings and dashboard alerts. If drivers remain unresponsive after prolonged warnings, the vehicle gradually reduces speed until it stops completely.
Xiaomi Auto’s customer service explained that the monitoring feature comes standard in all their vehicles. A representative described Mr Li’s experience as “a very normal response from the system”.
The company confirmed that drivers can disable the fatigue alert feature through the vehicle’s settings. However, representatives advised against turning off the function as it is designed to enhance driver safety.
Other car owners have reported similar experiences with fatigue detection systems across multiple brands, including Lynk & Co and Deepal. Many have contacted customer service departments about the issue.
Online reactions to Mr Li’s experience varied widely. Some users described the system as “overcorrection” while others praised Xiaomi’s safety measures as “very thorough”.
Many found the situation amusing, describing it as “too funny” and expressing sympathy for the “poor guy with small eyes”.
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