Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News Writer
Boston, MA (AHN) - A $1.5 million prototype is being tested at the AgeLab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to perfect the Aware Car, which seeks to help specifically elder motorists to be safer while driving.
Using infrared cameras and mini cameras, the unit under construction measures the driver's habits and would react if the one behind the wheel veers away from his usual response. The cameras monitors the driver's eye and eyelid movements, while the driver's heart rate, blood pressure and respiration are monitored and the data sent to a device on the trunk that could detect lane drifting. At the back seat is a computer monitor from where real-time data periodically show up.
Joseph Coughlin, director of AgeLab, told the Boston Globe, "Making technology more responsive to older drivers, makes it safer for all generations... The notion is driver well-being, a wellness approach to driving.
Because the experiment is only on a pilot stage, it would take at least 25 years before the features are seen on autos rolling out of factories, said Bryan Reimer, one of the project's researchers.
AgeLab has a variety of materials available that would help families and caregivers assess when is it time for dementia patients to step driving.
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