Scientist develop a device that won't let motorists fall asleep

Do you know that approx 300,000 people die in road accident that occurs to sleepy driving.

Now, this can be prevented. Scientists from Germany have developed a device to prevent motorists from falling asleep.

Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, It is a system which involves tiny cameras that monitor eye movements which trigger an alarm when drivers seem about to nod off.

Cameras are set up to follow the line of vision even when the driver's head moves left or right, reports the Daily Mail.

Utilising up to six dashboard-mounted cameras with compact three to four mm lenses, the system processes up to 200 images per second to detect sleepiness using parameters like line of vision and eyelid position, irrespective of the position of the driver's head.

The system is called 'Eye Tracker' and could be in the market as early as the end of next year.

The alarm can either come in the form of flashing lights or a bell or siren, or even a vibrator on the steering wheel, and can be adapted to any car on the market.

Its testing is due to start January, 2011 and scientists hope it will be ready for sale by December at around 100 pounds a unit.

- IANS Inputs

Src: [NDTV]