Hi-tech safe seat for sleepy drivers

Chad Bryan, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Researchers at a British university are targeting truck drivers, especially in the initial stages of a new seating technology. It will monitor the driver's heart rate and also alert them when they are about to doze off.

Motorists are routinely told not to drive when they are tired, as falling asleep at the wheel can lead to serious road crashes.

There is more danger of falling asleep when the driver has no passengers in the vehicle. This danger has led to researchers at Nottingham University developing car seats which keep drivers awake. They have proposed to use a textile with embedded circuits called electric potential integrated circuits (EPIC) to make the seats. EPIC can also measure someone's heart rate and respiration, among other physiological indicators.

The fabric-based sensor system is intended to warn a sleepy driver to pull over the vehicle. If there is no response, sensors will activate the cruise control or lane-keeping functions to prevent accidents.

Currently, the system is in its fledgling stages. Among the challenges researchers face is developing the conductive textile technology required for the electrocardiogram which will be woven into the seat.

As a result of the system's complexity and cost, the initial applications are expected to target commercial truck drivers, who often drive long distances and spend many hours behind the wheel, in order to enhance their safety.

It is expected that when the technology becomes more mainstream, it will be expanded across the wider automobile market, beginning with high-end luxury brands.