By Andrew Liszewski
The Anti Sleep Pilot, which we originally wrote about back in November, was a small puck-sized device designed to sit on your vehicle’s dashboard and help you stay awake during long drives. It used a combination of motion sensors to detect recurring erratic driving movements that could indicate a driver is nodding off, along with random tests to determine the driver’s alertness. When the ASP decided it was time for them to take a break, it would alert the driver with a set of easy-to-understand colored lights. It was a simple idea that had the potential to actually save lives, but the $250+ price tag was a bit hard to swallow.
So I think it’s pretty great that the Anti Sleep Pilot is now available as a software-only product in the iTunes App Store for just $19.99. As iPhone apps go that’s not exactly cheap, but it’s a far cry from what the hardware version of the product will set you back. And it makes sense given that the motion sensor hardware used in the Anti Sleep Pilot puck already exists in the iPhone. But because the iPhone also has that lovely touchscreen, the app version of the Anti Sleep Pilot adds a bit more including real-time stats of your trip, a GPS powered map function that shows how far you can safely drive before getting fatigued and even control over your music so you don’t need to jump between apps while driving.
I used to think it was odd that ppl could doze off at the wheel until I did it once last year….