Automotive

Anti Sleep Pilot detects drowsy drivers

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The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued
The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued
The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued
The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued
The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued
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According to a 2008 study by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, about 20 percent of all road traffic accidents are caused by driver fatigue. Tired motorists are also eight times more likely than rested motorists to get in an accident, displaying driving abilities similar to those of someone who is intoxicated. The problem is, we often don’t know when we’ve reached that “too tired” state – a situation that the Anti Sleep Pilot was created to address. The Danish-designed device sits on your dashboard, monitoring you and your driving conditions, and lets you know when it’s time to pull over and take a ten-minute rest.

To start using the Anti Sleep Pilot, you complete a short test to determine your personal risk profile. This information is stored by twisting a knob on the bottom of the unit, so several drivers can keep and access their profiles on one device. An adhesive-backed magnetic base attaches to the dashboard, which provides a mount for the device when in use.

Once you start driving, the Pilot continuously calculates your fatigue level, and displays your status. Its calculations combine 26 different parameters, including your personal risk profile, your fatigue status when you started driving, and input from a clock and accelerometer. It also maintains and measures driver alertness through occasional reactive tests, in which you must touch the device as soon as indicated. The longer you take to react, the slower your reaction time is getting – it sounds like it would be kind of like having a little Simon on your dashboard.

Unlike systems developed by Fraunhofer and Lexus, it does not use cameras to monitor the driver’s eyes.

The Anti Sleep Pilot is a dashboard device that lets drivers know when they're becoming too fatigued

When the combination of variables indicate that you’re reaching your limit, the Pilot’s visible and audible signals alert you to the fact that you need to take a break – the device is light- and sound-sensitive, so its display and alarm automatically adjust for cabin conditions. As the unit is able to monitor time and vehicle speed, it also knows how long you’ve stopped for, so there’s no pulling over for only a few seconds just to shut it up.

The Anti Sleep Pilot is so far only available in Denmark, although interested parties can pre-order on the company website. Its price should be around US$250.

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6 comments
Mr Stiffy
The best anti-sleep at the wheel devices ever invented are called big trees, oncoming traffic, concrete pillars, electricity poles, brick walls, sharp bends, cliffs and heart attack.
Scott Winterringer
Touching it sounds like a stupid thing to do.
/touch \"oh @#!@#\"
/funeral
if you are already fatigued this is only a very bad distraction.
windykites
Mr. Stiffy.These are not anti-sleep devices; they are permanent sleep devices.
Joking apart, tiredness at the wheel is very dangerous, and I have experienced it myself. The worst thing is, you feel like you can stay awake. I even have the problem at home, watching my favourite television programme, only to find I have fallen asleep and missed most of it.
Facebook User
I nearly fell asleep behind the wheel the other day but i had my anti sleep alarm on and it sounded so i pulled over and had a break. They are not that expensive and i got mine from NO NAP
Adrian Akau
We need to consider monitoring devices for drivers who are at risk, especially the elderly and those with health problems. Monitoring might mean a constant reading of pulse rate and blood pressure, if this can be done with a bracelet transmitter device. Surely, there must be unobtrusive ways to monitor without disturbing the driver.
Egmonster
Yes, Facebook User, thanks for mentioning the compact device that hangs over one ear and sounds off if your head droops. On http://www.thenonap.com/ they seem to be about $10 (minimum order 2; free domestic shipping at 4 units). Years ago we heard about them, but couldn't get them in Canada for any reasonable price, so my brother just wired up a small gadget that did the same thing. We used it on the boat for a few years to help the person on watch stay awake during long runs on the Inside Passage. It helped, though it won't warn you until after your attention has started to lapse; better than no warning, but still dangerous especially on the roads. One difficulty we had was getting it positioned so it sounded early enough without false alarms. If the No Nap had been available to us at that price we definitely would have bought instead of making one.