Wednesday, November 11, 2015
A smart steering wheel which detects drowsiness
This smart steering wheel detects how sleepy the driver is
We've already seen mechanisms that detect driver fatigue via steering wheel movements. German engineering company Hoffman and Krippner, in co-operation with Guttersberg Consulting, has developed a better alternative – a fatigue-sensing steering wheel accessory that detects the driver's hold. Priciple of the technology is based on the fact that when people drive, they're constantly applying pressure to the wheel. If someone falls asleep, gets a heart attack or lose conscious, that pressure weakens.
The actual device consists of a thin strap of sensors invented by Guttersberg Consulting that is attached to the inside part of rim of a manufacturer's steering wheel, beneath the leather covering. The "Sensofoil" strap consists of thin layers of foil, which have a weak current flowing in them. When driver holds the steering wheel and the layers come in contact, it creates a short-circuit between those layers, like in the way that a resistive touchscreen functions. A microprocessor tracks the intensity, frequency and location of those shorts, and accumulates it to create a typical driving design for the driver. When they shift from it significantly, the sensors will ask them to wake up and park. Moreover, the mechanism could be programmed to feature the top 10 "hot spots" on the wheel, which the driver could touch to activate features such as entertainment or communications controls.
According to the corporation, it's resistive tech is powerful to capacitive systems being produced by other groups, it's less sensitive to matter such as dirt, sweat and temperature changes. Even when the driver is wearing gloves, it detects pressure changes accordingly, and, it can store those changes quicker. There might be some time before you install it in your car. However, a rep tells us that selling it for public use is still "years away," and that it will probably first appear in luxury automobiles before coming down to middle or lower-class cars.
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