ALERT- Adaptive Learning Eyeware & Remote Tracking version 2.0

Fatigue causes reduced mental or physical performance. It can be caused by sleep loss, extended wakefulness, 'body clock' mismatch (jetlag) or workload. It can lead to errors, sometimes with grave consequences. Workers operating in safety-critical environments, such as pilots, air traffic controllers, and surgeons, have strictly enforced rules governing working hours. Surgeons, for example, should not work longer than 48 hours per week. However, there are examples where legislation to avoid fatigue does not exist. Private motorists and light vehicle drivers represent a far greater number of the total UK population and fatigue for these people too can have serious consequences. Analysis suggests that driver fatigue contributes to ~20% of road traffic collisions (RTCs) that result in death or people being killed or seriously injured (KSI). Some 50-70% of those affected are aged 15-35 years old and require expensive long-term care. Through disabling injuries, fatigue could cost the UK economy up to £1.4Bn per year.

Current methods of measuring fatigue are either highly subjective, self-reports by drivers themselves, or they use technology to measure bodily changes. This includes cameras that track drivers' blinking, facial expressions and head position. However, these methods are inaccurate in poor light and do not allow the use of sunglasses, limiting wider adoption.

This project offers an alternative to these limited ways of measuring fatigue. ALERT is a fatigue monitoring glasses incorporated into one of the oldest examples of wearable technology, a pair of glasses. The frame will be compatible with corrective lenses and sunglasses. ALERT will measure additional indices of fatigue, including blink parameters as well as heart rate, facial muscle activity, head posture and temperature. ALERT will enable the first individualised, objective assessment of fatigue. This will allow us to attract partners for a second project to commercialise ALERT. These partners could be insurance firms or large fleet operators, who increasingly realise that they have a legal duty of care to protect staff and the public from fatigued drivers.