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Fatigue Sensor Alerts Gamers When It's Time for More Caffeine

by Warren Riddle on October 13, 2010 at 08:55 AM

murata
Murata Manufacturing produces a multitude of diverse technological devices, including capacitors, resistors and various types of sensors (as well as the awesome Murata Boy and Murata Girl robots). The company just revealed one of its new sensor devices at the CEATEC Japan 2010 conference, and the gadget could offer (virtual) life-saving benefits.

Murata equipped the product with EKG electrodes and a photoplethysmographic sensor that monitors the wearer's pulse and blood oxygen saturation levels. The device analyzes those data measurements, and then alerts the wearer if signs of fatigue are identified. The technology obviously seems ideal for pilots or long-haul truckers, but Murata intends to install it in game consoles and cell phones. Falling asleep at the controller may not seem like a terribly pressing problem (except for a few hardcore geeks), but -- since kids and teens do lose dangerous amounts of sleep over mobiles and games -- Murata may just be onto something.

Tags: cellphone, distracteddriving, gaming, health, Murata, MurataBoy, MurataGirl, PhotoplethysmographicSensor, science, sleep, sleepdeprivation, top, videogames

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