AI-Based Device Aimed At Preventing Drivers From Dozing Off At The Wheel

An artificial intelligence-based device has been developed with the aim of preventing drivers from dozing off at the wheel.

This device can alert the person behind the wheel with a loud buzzer if his eyes are closed for more than three seconds.

The device is an accident-prevention measure that can prove to be a big help in curbing accidents caused due to drivers falling asleep while at the wheel, especially during a long drive.

The device, developed by Colonel Kuldeep Yadav of Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME) at Secunderabad, has been tested in three army vehicles for three months.

The trial run has been successful and this month one device has been handed over to the Telangana government for trial on commercial vehicles.

The AI-based accident prevention system is a small, economical and rugged device that can be mounted in the driver’s compartment. The flexible design enables the system to be easily mounted on existing cars and trucks and in others where a smaller size is required.

The vehicle battery supplies power to the device and can be used for long hours. It is also equipped to alert the vehicle owners through an email.

In a study carried out for the Road Transport Ministry in 2019, one-fourth of drivers had admitted that they had fallen asleep behind the wheel while driving and this was more prevalent in the case of truck drivers.

Another study by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) on crashes on the 300-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway had found that exhausted drivers who dozed off at the wheel were responsible for about 40 per cent of such accidents.

Currently, there has been a focus on using the AI and technology solutions to prevent crashes across the world.