A concept car developed by Japanese company Nissan has a breathalyser-like detection system and other instruments that could help keep drunk or over-tired drivers off the road.
The car鈥檚 sensors check odours inside the car and monitor a driver鈥檚 sweat for traces of alcohol. An in-car computer system can issue an alert or even lock up the ignition system if the driver seems over-the-limit. The air odour sensors are embedded in the driver and passenger seats, while a detector in the gear-shift knob measures perspiration from the driver鈥檚 palm.
Other carmakers have developed similar detection systems. For example, Sweden鈥檚 Volvo has developed a breathalyser attached to a car鈥檚 seat belt that drivers must blow into before the engine will start (also see Clever cars shine at intelligent transport conference).
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Alarm bells
Nissan鈥檚 new concept vehicle also includes a dashboard-mounted camera that tracks a drivers alertness by monitoring their eyes (see image). It will sound an alarm and issue a spoken warning in Japanese or English if it judges that the driver needs to pull over and rest.
The car technology is still in development, but general manager Kazuhiro Doi says the combination of different detection systems should improve the overall effectiveness of the technology. 鈥淔or example, if the gear-shift sensor was bypassed by a passenger using it instead of the driver, the facial recognition system would still be used,鈥� Doi says. Nissan has no specific timetable for marketing the system, but aims to use technology to cut the number of fatalities involving its vehicles to half 1995 levels by 2015.
The car鈥檚 seat belt can also tighten if drowsiness is detected, while an external camera checks that the car is keeping to its lane properly. However, Doi admits that some of the technology, such as the alcohol odour sensor, are have to be improved. 鈥淚f you drink one beer, it鈥檚 going to register, so we need to study what鈥檚 the appropriate level for the system to activate,鈥� he says.
In the UK, some research groups are using similar surveillance techniques to understand driver behaviour and the effectiveness of different road designs (see Watchful car monitors its driver鈥檚 every move.
