The package of sensors, alarms and software, dubbed Driver Safety Solution (DDS), aims to prevent accidents caused by fatigue by detecting when a truck driver is about to fall asleep. The technology has already been put to the test in trails by BHP Billiton and Newmont Mining.
Developed by Australian firm, Seeing Machines, DDS will cost up to $20,000 to install on each vehicle, although a discount applies if it is bought in bulk.
DSS uses a camera to detect a driver's pupil size, how frequently they blink, and how long they keep their eyes shut. In addition it tracks where the user's mouth is in order to work out when the workers are not looking at the road. To help identify these features truck cabs are also fitted with an infrared lamp. Its light is invisible to humans, but allows the camera to see in the dark and through employees' safety glasses. DSS benefits from the fact it does not need to be recalibrated when one worker swaps shift with another.
The aim of the technology is to detect the onset of micro-sleep - periods when a person passes out for anywhere from a fraction of a second to up to half a minute, and then wakes up again without realising they lost consciousness.
If the computer's software believes this has occurred it triggers an audio alarm and vibrates a motor built into the driver's seat to rouse them. An alert is also sent back to the miner's support staff who can view a streamed video feed of the driver's eyes and view data about their recent behaviour.
A spokesman for Newmont Mining stated that it believed DSS had reduced fatigue-related incidents by 90 percent during a pilot study at one of its sites in Nevada.
