ALERT- Adaptive Learning Eyeware & Remote Tracking

Fatigue causes reduced mental or physical performance. It can be caused by sleep loss,
extended wakefulness, 'body clock' mismatch (jetlag) or excessive workload. It can lead to
errors, sometimes with grave consequences. Workers operating in safety-critical
environments, such as pilots and surgeons, have strictly enforced rules governing working
hours. Surgeons 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 serious injury (KSI). 50-70% of those affected
are aged 15-35 years old and require expensive long-term care. Through KSIs, 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 using technology to measure bodily changes. This includes cameras that track
drivers’ blinking 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 device incorporated into one of the oldest examples of wearable
technology, a pair of glasses. ALERT will measure additional indices of fatigue, including
blink parameters as well as heart rate, facial muscle tone, 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.