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Eyetracker Warns Sleepy Drivers Before They Crash

by Caleb Johnson on October 16, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Eyetracker wakes up sleepy drivers.
We not only want our cars to get us to our destinations, but to get us there safely, too. According to DVICE, German researchers have developed an in-car, eye-tracking system that monitors facial features, and delivers an audible warning whenever the driver appears sleepy. Dubbed Eyetracker, the system uses two cameras to monitor the pupils' positions, and then watches for changes in a person's line of vision. Unlike in the image above, you don't need a laptop for Eyetracker to work, and it can be installed in any vehicle. The self-contained control unit is about the size of a matchbox, which means it could easily fit under a seat or in a console.

As with many cool and new technologies, there's no timetable for Eyetracker to hit the market. However, anybody who's driven long distances late at night could see the practicality of having such a system installed in the car. But, until it's available, having a loudmouth passenger jacked-up on caffeine will have to be enough of a deterrent against falling asleep behind the wheel.

Tags: asleepatthewheel, auto, car, CarTech, distracteddriving, eye, EyeTracking, top, transportation

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