The TriSense driver safety system monitors driver health. Source: Vastra Inc.The TriSense driver safety system monitors driver health. Source: Vastra Inc.A Purdue University industrial engineering graduate has developed technology for determining when a driver is drowsy.

Harsh Somani, president and CEO of the Purdue-affiliated startup Vastra Inc., along with other Purdue colleagues, has devised a system for detecting driver fatigue and drowsiness from a fabric steering wheel cover.

According to its developers, the steering wheel fabric system, dubbed TriSense, can monitor driver health by collecting electrocardiogram data from the driver via hardware built into the fabric. This data reportedly offers insight into the driver’s heart rate and other medical information. A companion software app then uses this information to issue alerts to the driver in the event it detects that the driver is experiencing symptoms associated with fatigue or drowsiness.

TriSense users are only in contact with the steering wheel and not distracted by other monitoring devices, offering an advantage over other fatigue-detection methods.

Other attempts to prevent drowsy driving, which is thought to be responsible for hundreds of deaths a year in the U.S. alone, include research conducted at Swinburne and Austin Health that resulted in an eye-tracking system for detecting drowsy drivers. Likewise, researchers at Hong Kong Baptist University have developed an app for detecting driver fatigue, based on how the driver holds his or her head while behind the wheel and changes in his or her eyelids.

Meanwhile, a more invasive drowsy driver detection approach developed by researchers from the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey relies on a blood test to determine driver drowsiness.

To contact the author of this article, email mdonlon@globalspec.com