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Would you buy a device that keeps you awake while driving?

1 points by woutersf ↗ HN
One of the biggest causes in traffic accidents is sleep deprivation http://voices.yahoo.com/5-most-common-causes-car-accidents-4947668.html I almost had an accident experiencing this myself. My best friend had an accident this way. We are not the only ones.

The solution consists of an Eye (camera + IR camera) connected to a mini arduino (or similar) that watches the driver by looking at its face and detecting if eyes are opened. (see http://www.visagetechnologies.com/html5/ ) . When your eyes are closed fox X seconds, a notification sounds loudly. Possible addition: Heart rate sensor in the steering wheel so when the HR drops(you fall asleep) the system notifies you as well.

Technically this seems a pretty simple device to build. If the insurance companies cooperate (cheaper insurance when using this device) This should be a financially viable product.

What do you think of this?

4 comments

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lun4r
I've come across such devices several times. Well intended, but I believe that if you're getting so tired that you may fall asleep you really shouldn't be driving and look for a nearby hotel instead. A sudden buzz or loud sound notification may scare me, which could cause accidents too.
woutersf
You are right, I am now much more attentive for this, but much people aren't.

<quote> The need for anti-sleep alarms is no joke. A poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation showed that 60 percent of Americans have driven while feeling sleepy, and 37 percent admit to falling asleep at the wheel in the past year. In fact, sleepy driving can be deadly: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 car crashes -- and kills more than 1,500 people -- each year [source: Fenton].</quote>

jmnicolas
I hate this kind of "do gooder" tech.

It's one more thing that will be imposed on us for the greater good making our lives a tiny bit more complicated and a bit more expensive.

This thing will break and will have to be repaired.

It WILL have bugs that warns you for nothing adding a bit more stress to lives that don't need more.

Now if you ask me, it's probably viable commercially and I expect to see this kind of thing in new cars in the next 5 years.

I'm surprised it's not in standard already, but maybe it's a too processor intensive for a cheap controller.

woutersf
Airbags are do-gooder tech too, and they save lives. If implemented well it could be as hidden and unnoticed too. Saab and lexus use the described technique to monitor the driver in expensive models.