Drivers falling asleep at the wheel present serious dangers not only to themselves but everyone else on the road with them at the time. Nottingham Trent University has a team of researchers currently working on a clever new solution to eliminate this all too common dangerous situation. They're approach is using electronic sensors in the driver's seat back, which monitors the driver's heart rate. When a dangerous pattern is detected it can automatically warn the driver. One of the most unique aspects of their proposed system is that the sensors would not be external on the seat. They would actually be part of the seat fabric itself. Once a dangerous situation is identified a warning is presented to the driver and it's recommended they pull off of the road. It can even be programmed to react if the driver doesn't heed the warning. For instance, it could take control by engaging the cruise control and lane departure systems to automatically take the car to safety. As more smart systems are introduced it could interface with them and assert even more control of the vehicle if necessary. So far the project has received over $150,000 in funding. There's no time frame for when we might see this system in some form in a production car. How would you feel about having a system like this in your vehicle?
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