Researchers develop smart seatbelt that senses heart rate to combat driver fatigue

By Aditi Pai
09:50 am
Share

Harken smart seatbeltA group of researchers from Spain have published a paper on a seatbelt and seat cover embedded with sensors that can detect the driver's respiration and heart rate to combat the driver fatalities and car accidents caused by fatigue.

The project, which is run by a consortium called Harken has been working on the system for a few years now and is funded by the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.

The consortium consists of small businesses from Europe, including Spain-based intelligent textile company Sensing Tex, Germany-based elastic manufacturer ALATEX Narrow Webbings, Portugal-based sensor maker PLUX Wireless Biosignals, Spain-based research organization Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia, Estonia-based research organization Eesti Innovatsiooni Instituut, and England-based University of Manchester. 

Researchers found that variable heart rate and heart rate are good indicators of if a driver is concentrated and feeling awake, and the slowing of breath can indicate fatigue from monotonous driving. While the group explains that there are many products on the market to combat driver fatigue, there are limitations to these products.

One limitation is some products use wearables to measure fatigue, and the Harken consortium believes it should be monitored unobtrusively. The second is that some products do not adjust for vibrations and noise factors.

"The next challenge is the integration of the sensors in the car components, that has been already initiated," the research authors write. "Even though the sensing materials are created for textile applications, the aesthetic, functional and safety requirements of the automotive industry for the materials that are used in car seats and belts are very specific, and it is necessary to find the optimal trade-off."

Just a few weeks ago, UK Nottingham Trent University researchers launched a study in collaboration with semiconductor company Plessey Semiconductors to study the efficacy of an electrocardiogram (ECG) system embedded into the the driver’s seat of cars, also to combat driver fatigue and crashes resulting from it.

Share