Handheld Group
Keeping Drivers Alert Behind the Wheel
This article first appeared in the Bus-News magazine, Issue 1 2023.
Fatigue Management on Long, Lonely Stretches of Road
Early Warning Drowsiness Detection System
Studies have shown that drivers falling asleep or driving drowsy is a major cause of vehicle accidents; in fact, sleepiness can be as dangerous as inebriation. Although drowsiness whilst driving can occur at any time, this is of special concern to those who drive long distances at a stretch, when weariness can creep in without the driver’s notice.
Through its specialised glasses, software and new Eagle Light product based on the Nautiz X2 ultra- rugged handheld, Optalert offers an early-warning drowsiness detection solution to a variety of users, including companies with field engineers who service telecommunications infrastructure in rural and remote parts of Australia.
Based on Scientific Sleep Research and Clinical Trials
During his 40 years as a clinician, Dr Murray Johns – a world-renowned authority on sleep medicine – developed a special interest in the state of drowsiness and its associated dangers for people whose very lives depend on staying awake at the appropriate time. His 40-year passion for solving the problem of drowsiness led to him developing the world’s first and only technology capable of detecting drowsiness and alertness in real-time using the 10-point Johns Drowsiness Scale (JDS) named after him.
How Does It Work?
A driver climbs into their vehicle, and puts on the lightweight, wireless glasses. The specialised glasses quickly and easily connect via Bluetooth to the Nautiz X2 unit mounted in the cab.
Optalert’s drowsiness detection glasses work by measuring the velocity of the operator’s eyelid movement 500 times a second using a tiny invisible LED built into the frame of the glasses. Two key measurements essentially measure how fast and how far a person opens their eyelid after they close it.
