Innovation That Matters

Smart cap

Smart hat helps truck drivers stay awake

Work & Lifestyle

A new wearable uses sound, light and vibration to alert drivers when they are starting to doze off behind the wheel.

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Launched to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary of trucks production in Brazil, the Ford Motor Company’s SafeCap prototype is a smart hat that alerts drivers to their drowsiness. With sleepiness a leading cause of crashes involving truck drivers, the SafeCap is designed as a preventive. After mapping the typical head, neck and shoulder movements of drivers, the cap was equipped with a gyroscope and accelerometer in order to detect atypical motions that indicate when sleep is imminent.

The first step in alerting a driver is sound, followed by light and vibration. The cap’s sensors are sensitive enough to detect a pre-sleep physiological change that involves relaxation in the neck muscles. By waking the driver before sleep occurs, Ford hopes to help reduce the numbers of on-the-job accidents and injuries. The company plans to make the hat available for sale sometime in 2018.

While a lot of the technology and experimentation in vehicular innovation has focused on cars, a number of projects have indicated the potential for significant developing in the trucking industry. In Germany, e-ink signs on the back of truck trailers display real-time traffic and weather information, as well as location-specific advertising, and a company in Sweden is currently developing a driverless, emission-free electric trucking system. How could long-haul transport companies help connect these ideas to create a more sustainable (and safe) industry?

Website: www.ford.com

Contact: www.facebook.com/ford

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