Embedded sensors aim to curtail fatigue-related accidents

This is the aim of the EU-funded HARKEN Project, which has also integrated sensors and a signal-processing unit into driving seat covers to measure the cardiac and respiratory rhythms that can indicate the onset of fatigue.

Researchers from project partners at the Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (Biomechanics Institute - IBV) told The Engineer that heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been long studied in relation with driver’s fatigue and alertness, adding that HR decreases and HRV increases when the driver is fatigued or distracted.

Despite these factors being known and accepted, a non-invasive method of recording them has proven difficult until now.

In use, the sensors and SPU would be integrated into the car and derive their power from the vehicle’s 12V battery. The greater challenge in developing a prototype device was sensing heart rate and respiration non-invasively; then distinguishing between signals given off by movements of the driver and the car itself.