Numerous car accidents are caused by having a sleepy driver at the wheel. Whether they had a particularly long day or are driving long-distance, the risks remain the same. Driving while drowsy endangers those inside the vehicle as well as those outside of it. With this in mind, the Biomechanics Institute in Valencia, Spain have developed a system called Harken to address driver fatigue and sleepiness.
Harken is basically a smart seatbelt made from “smart” textiles with built-in sensors that can measure a person’s heartbeat and respiration. When it detects that the driver is starting to nod off based on the stats, the system triggers an alarm to jolt the driver awake.
The variations in heart and respiratory rate are good indicators of the state of the driver as they are related to fatigue. So, when people go into a state of fatigue or drowsiness, modifications appear in their breathing and heart rate; Harken can monitor those variables and therefore warn the driver before the onset of symptoms of fatigue.
Harken definitely sounds like something we need. What do you think?
VIA [ Damn Geeky ]
