If there were people watching you in your car they would see if your eyes were not on the road, if you were sleeping and if you are incapacitated. Soon some sources claim GM Chevy, Cadillac owners will have a friend seeing what they are doing to help them drive. Seeing Machines’ eye tracking systems using Takata hardware.
Seeing Machines is an Aussie tech company that uses Takata safety equipment. In a press release on Monday stated that Seeing Machines has an agreement with Takata and that the partnership has signed a contract to deliver the first ever mass-manufactured implementation of a driver-monitoring for a “Major Global Automotive Manufacturer.“
GM will not comment on future technology. However many bloggers and online media keep stating that GM is the carmaker. All we know for sure is that Seeing Machines and Takata will work to produce the first major automaker to offer a driver-monitoring system that will warn drivers of lapses in attention, reducing the risk of potentially fatal accidents.
Combined with the Safety Alert Seat or other alarms it may make drivers keep their eyes and minds on the road and off the smartphone.
The Seeing Machines’ Operator Monitoring System is based on patented eye-tracking technology that uses sensing equipment that requires no re-calibration between different drivers and tracks head alignment for potential distraction of the driver.
Eye and head tracking technology is expected to reduce driver distraction. The Financial Times estimates that devices will be installed in over a half a million GM vehicles in the next three to five years.
Seeing Machines’ real-time Driver Safety System (DSS) monitors fatigue and distraction events. It is currently piloting in a number of the largest fleets of commercial trucks.
Takata Corporation (Takata) an automotive industry leader in the supply of advanced driver Safety systems (ADAS). The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found 74% of all accidents involve driver distraction.
Volvo is researching how sensors that detect how the driver is feeling. Systems can recognize and distinguish whether a driver is tired or inattentive, making a much safer car