By Azman Zakaria
Photo By: Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG - Researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) had successfully produced the Driver's Anti-Drowsy Device (DADD) innovation, a wearable technology applied in vests or jackets which helped drivers from falling asleep while driving.
Since the technology was applied in the vest, the 'mini vibration motor' in the vest would produce a 'haptic feedback' which is a signal in the form of vibration, and this occurred if it detected drowsy drivers.
DADD was integrated into a smartphone and a special camera which was placed on the dashboard of the car. The camera would then detect if a driver was drowsy through physical changes such as blink rate, head nod speed, yawn rate and heart rate.
The camera that detected the changes would then send an input of the driver's physical changes to a special microcomputer inside the vest, and this would produce a medium frequency vibration that would be felt by the driver. Each vibration would last three seconds and would occur at intervals of two seconds.
The senior lecturer of the Department of Industrial Design in UPM’s Faculty of Design and Architecture (FRSB), Dr. Rosalam Che Me said that if the vibrations had no effect on the driver, there would be a signal in the form of audio which would be sent by the microcomputer to the driver.
Next, the audio signal would produce a beep sound in the ear plugs wrapped in the vest.
According to him, DADD was produced by Syuhada Mohd Daud via her final year project for FRSB’s Industrial Design.
Dr. Rosalam also said that the design of the vest also encouraged good posture and supported the spine while driving, thereby it reduced sleepiness.
He said the vest was made of PVC and nylon for the comfort of drivers and came in ‘free size' and can be adjusted according to their body shape.
Dr. Rosalam further added that it was still in the conceptual phase and his team had gained Intellectual Property rights for DADD.
According to him, one of the main reasons for road accidents is driver sleepiness which makes drivers fail to react quickly such as applying the brakes or avoiding a crash or colliding into other road users.
Dr. Rosalam claimedthat the mobile apps developed with DADD could detect driving patterns, which made it easier for drivers to plan their driving.
Finally, he commented that, DADD was not only meant for drivers, but it could also be used in offices to support good posture while sitting on the chair and to avoid sleepiness and could be used by all ages. - UPM
