Alert Car Seat Warns You When You Are Sleepy

Sleeping on the wheel have caused many accidents in the past and the only way to probably contain such kind of scenes is to have a system wherein the car driver could be warned that he is sleeping and be jolted awake. Researchers from the University of Tokyo, Oita University, the Shimane Institute of Health Science and Delta Tooling have been laboring towards this cause. They have built a prototype of a smart car seat capable of detecting when its driver is on the verge of falling asleep. This prototype was unveiled at a symposium held at the University of Tokyo on February 5. After studying the physiological signs of 100 sleepy subjects and monitoring the changes in their pulse and respiration that occur 10 minutes before falling asleep, the researchers have been able to develop this seat.

Basically they have developed a sensor to detect these changes and integrated the sensor onto the seat. The sensors work though layers of clothing too. And with the results interpreted the seat’s sensor is able to judge whether the driver is on the verge of sleeping or not. So far the seat is only able to detect whether the occupant is sleepy or not, no alarms have been incorporated, but I guess that will be the next step. The researchers hope to make the smart seat commercially available in 5 years.

Source: http://www.pinktentacle.com/