Eye-tracking device keeps drowsy drivers alert on the road

Many a times it’s the drowsiness behind the wheel which becomes a prime cause for fatal road accidents. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau, Germany, have developed an assistant system which keeps drowsy drivers alert on the road by tracking a driver's eye movement and issuing a warning before the driver nods off.

eyetracker

The Eyetracker uses at least two cameras to record 3-D images and identify any driver’s line of vision. If the camera modules detect that the eye is closed for longer than a user-defined interval, it sounds an alarm alerting the driver. With four or even six cameras monitoring the eye at a time for increased accuracy the cameras evaluate up to 200 images per second. Roughly half the size of a matchbox the tiny lenses are just three to four millimeters in diameter. Currently undergoing car tests the device would be ready for sale to auto makers in next three months.

Via: Fraunhofer