Eye tracker attempts to combat driver fatigue

Published: 29 May 2013
By Chris Haycock

The company, who usually construct mining equipment and vehicles will be launching technology containing sensors and alarms that can tell when a mining truck driver is about to fall asleep at the wheel. The system, named Driver Safety Solution (DSS) was developed by Seeing Machines, an Australian company who teamed up with Caterpillar. Each system will cost around £13,000 to install in each vehicle, although the company say that a discount is available when bought in bulk. Caterpillar say that driver tiredness is one of the biggest cause of accidents in the mining industry, and the system helps reduce the risk by detecting the driver's pupil size, as well as how often they blink and keep their eyes shut. To allow the system to work in the dark at night, truck cabs are fitted with an infrared light allowing the camera to work in the dark and through driver's safety glasses. A pilot study in Nevada by Newmont Mining has shown that fatigue-related accidents were reduced by 90%.