Researchers from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute have developed a new tool they hope will prevent accidents caused by drivers who fall asleep at the wheel. Tiny cameras monitor eye movements and alert drivers when it’s time to take a break. “The system will neither bother or hinder the driver, but will immediately recognise when they are tired or close their eyes for a moment,” developer Frank Klefenz said while presenting the “Eye Tracker” at the VISION trade fair in Stuttgart on Tuesday.
Testing of the matchbook-sized camera system is set to begin in early 2011, with possible driver alerts including a warning light or a steering wheel vibration, Klefenz said.
The German Road Safety Council (DVR) estimates that one in four highway traffic fatalities is caused by momentary driver drowsiness, and this can be particularly dangerous at the high speeds typical to the autobahn.
While there are already other systems that monitor whether drivers are awake, the Fraunhofer Institute researchers based in Ilmenau, Thuringia say theirs is the first that can register three-dimensional images in real time, a development that has several auto manufacturers interested in testing the technology. Unlike other systems, it also operates without the use of a PC, connecting directly to a vehicle’s on-board programs. Read more in The Local.
The picture looks like Obama, asleep at the wheel….which he definitely is!
This is just something else to add to the cost of the car. Any sane person knows that if you are feeling tired you stop driving.
why not use the canera to send images to a central goverment agency and have them issue tickets when someone is seen texting, talking on a cell phone, speeding, driving with unrestrained children, and passing a stopped school bus.