In collaboration with Phil Kithil of Advanced Safety Concepts, Inc. (ASCI), Complexica has developed a system that analyzes data from an array of sensors, to determine when truck drivers are in danger of falling asleep, and alerts them in order to prevent accidents.
The new product, branded under the name MINDSTM (MicroNod Detection System), applies sensing and detection, machine learning and complexity science technologies to automotive safety applications. The low-cost device sits invisibly in the roof of an automobile, truck or bus and triggers alerting systems when drowsiness is observed in the driver.
"This is a true information age alliance.Developed with technologies from the New Mexico-based Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories and the Santa Fe Institute, MINDS is able to locate the exact position of the driver’s head and pass this information to a small microprocessor. Advanced neural network technology reads how each particular driver holds his head when fully alert and detects the beginnings of drowsy behavior. Alerting devices are then activated according to the degree of inattention or drowsiness of the driver. The device learns the specific behavior patterns of various individuals and is able to distinguish among several drivers of a given vehicle. The original research effort by ASCI was a public-private development effort, which involved New Mexico State Highway & Transportation Department, the New Mexico Division of Federal Highway Administration, and the Alliance For Transportation Research Institute of the University of New Mexico.
“staying awake for 17 to 19 hours – a normal working day for many people – can dampen your mental and physical reaction times as dramatically as two drinks.”It is possible that even more traffic deaths are due to drivers falling asleep at the wheel than due to intoxicated drivers, according to a recent study reported in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study found that “staying awake for 17 to 19 hours – a normal working day for many people – can dampen your mental and physical reaction times as dramatically as two drinks.” The American public is concerned about professional driver safety as well. A recent survey of Americans conducted by the Insurance Research Council found that “a majority of the public (57 percent) believes that increasing from 10 to 12 the number of hours a truck driver is allowed to drive with no break is unsafe. More than half (56 percent) said they would be willing to pay more for goods and shipping to have truckers’ total working hours reduced to no more than 12 hours per day.”
