Add / Remove Driving while sleepy can be just as dangerous as drink driving, and yet there isn’t currently a way to test for tiredness in the event of a crash. Marketing campaigns such as Drive Awake have used facial recognition to detect if drivers are falling asleep, but required drivers to take it upon themselves to install the app. Spain’s Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (IBV) has now created the Harken project, which places sensors into seatbelts and car seats to track drivers’ alertness. The system uses smart textiles embedded with sensors to monitor the key indicators of the driver’s sleepiness. Connected to a signal processing unit that filters out the motion of the car from the data, the seatbelt features a heartrate monitor while the fabric covering the seat can detect breathing rate. When the user begins to become fatigued, the heartrate drops and breathing becomes heavier. When they drop below a certain threshold, an alarm is triggered to wake up the driver. Watch the video below to learn more about the project: The team has successfully trialled the system on a closed track test and aims to work with manufacturers to include the system as standard in vehicles. Are there other ways to use sensor technology to ensure that drivers keep their eyes on the road? Website: http://harken.ibv.org/ Contact: www.harken.ibv.org/index.php/contact

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Car detects if drivers are falling asleep at the wheel, wakes them up

Add / Remove Eco-minded consumers are increasingly looking to reduce the ‘dirty’ energy used in their home. In the past, marketplaces like the Netherlands’ Vandebron have handed control over to consumers by letting them decide how local and green they want their energy to be and choose their own suppliers. But now Ohmconnnect is taking a different route by notifying customers of the best times to reduce energy use and offering cash rewards for doing so. Unfortunately for consumers concerned about their environmental impact, all major energy companies use a multitude of different sources to power their customers’ homes. While these businesses typically publish a fuel mix ratio, consumers can never know exactly where their energy is coming from at any given time — except when peaker plants come into effect. These plants are typically used between once and three times a week in the case that energy consumption in a particular location peaks above the predicted amount allocated for the region. The plants can quickly generate and distribute energy, but they’re often expensive to operate and use fossil fuels inefficiently. By monitoring energy use across the US, Ohmconnect can detect when and where peak energy periods take place, something it calls #OhmHour. Those downloading the app receive alerts whenever a peaker plant near them becomes active. The app can be linked with popular devices such as Nest and the Tesla Smart House system so users can automatically reduce their home energy when an alert is sent out and the company can detect the drop. Alternatively, they can manually turn off energy-sucking appliances and Ohmconnect will detect reductions through smart meters located in 95 percent of homes served by PG&E . Users gain points whenever they save energy during #OhmHour, which can be converted into cash when they meet the required threshold. The app also offers a detailed breakdown of energy use for each user. Ohmconnect makes its money from selling this saved energy — essentially generated energy that’s gone unused — back to the energy market. By doing so, dirty energy consumption is reduced and consumers get a share of the reward. Are there ways that utilities companies could use big data in a similar way to help reduce bills for their customers? Website: www.ohmconnect.com > Contact: talk@ohmconnect.com

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App rewards homeowners switching off devices when dirty power plants serve their house