The Drowsiness Detector

It is common knowledge that if a person in the sleepy condition while driving, is the biggest cause of traffic accidents. Departing from this, the University of Pennsylvania grads created a tool called Vigo whose can tell the user if he has been tired.

Vigo collects information on a user's blinks and body movements and alerts them to when they're becoming drowsy. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

As quoted from Daily Mail, on Tuesday, December 24, 2013, Vigo able to tell when the user gets tired. This gadget is claimed as a device that can be used to measure alertness by way of sending a warning in the form of vibration to make someone awake, or give them advice to rest.

Vigo is powered by a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, which the company says lasts two to three days, depending on use. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

According to the Vigo creator, this personal device will track the movement of the body and also the pattern of the wearer blinks to later remind the wearer of when they are must rest.

Vigo records various parameters each time you blink, such as duration and eyelid closing and reopening time. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

The Vigo records and tracks the user’s mental energy levels over time on an iOS or Android smartphone, and alert/drowsy patterns can inform the wearer of their most/least productive times of day.

The app logs usage data and can display alertness patterns to giver users an idea as to when they are most alert. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

Weighing 20 g (0.7 oz), Vigo is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M0 16MHz processor, low-energy Bluetooth 4.0, infrared sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, vibration motor, and is reported to last 2-3 days on a single charge.  The Vigo team, made of University of Pennsylvania graduates, has currently launched the project on Kickstarter, and the Vigo can be backed for $79 (retail $119).  Expected shipping date is May 2014.

When Vigo detects sleepiness, the device "nudges" the user, alerting them to their drowsy state and prompting them to re-focus. (Picture from: http://www.gizmag.com/)

"The idea is simple, even though your brain has a tendency to trick you into thinking hard day-by-day, but your body can not hide it when you are tired," said the Vigo creator, from the University of Pennsylvania. "With infrared sensor, accelerometer, and algorithm, Vigo know when you are sleepy," he concluded.

Fatigue detection device is shaped like a Google Glass in one hand, and can be worn while driving a car or working at the computer. This tool will work like a mother who tells users to sleep when it is too long to work. *** [EKA | FROM PREVIOUS SOURCES | DAILY MAIL | MEDGADGET | GIZMAG]

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