&host=www.rt.com&uri=/news/sci-tech/russia-gadget-sleeping-drivers/&via=1.1 205.128.88.7:80 (Footprint 4.8/FPMCP)&ua=CCBot/1.0 (+http://www.commoncrawl.org/bot.html))
Revolutionary gadget to save drivers from falling asleep behind the wheel
Published: 01 September, 2010, 21:21
Edited: 13 September, 2010, 01:39
TAGS: Russia, SciTech, Gizmos, Vehicles, Prime Time Russia
After decades of fruitless efforts to improve safety on the country’s roads, inventive Russians may at last have found a way to deal with the drastic situation.
Russian scientists have come up with the idea of a gadget that will help drivers stay awake behind the wheel. Unlike Russia’s lawmakers, this magic ring could really increase road safety.
“When a person starts to doze off, all the metabolic processes slow down sharply,” Professor Vladimir Sukhodoev, from the Psychology Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told RT. “The neurological characteristics which used to be quite active then slump, too. This is all picked up by the ring, and the ups and downs are measured here.”
The ring sounds an alarm within a minute of recording a dip in metabolism. If there is no reaction after five seconds, the device vibrates until the driver responds.
The ring is the brainchild of entrepreneur Aleksandr Levenshtein, who will launch sales in December. He hopes to sell 100,000 such gadgets in the first year, and then the same amount per month after that. He says it will succeed because it is based on new research.
“The only product meant to combat sleep at the moment is activated by head movements: if the head drops, then it means the person has fallen asleep already,” Levenshtein said. “But people can drift off with their eyes open and head stable, which is dangerous. Our device detects that. We prevent sleep, without waiting for it.”
Aleksandr hopes the ring will reduce the alarming fatality rate on Russia's highways – last year, the figure amounted to 30,000.
However, those who spend their life on the road are not convinced.
“It would be inappropriate to put your life in the hands of an electronic device,” long-distance driver Sergey Elchaninov told RT. “A sudden sound normally wakes you up, but you can't fully trust such equipment to save your life.”
While getting behind the wheel when tired is never a good idea, Sergey suggests chewing gum or drinking water.
31.08.2010, 17:39
1 comment
To modernization through educationRussia’s State Council has discussed ways of how to improve vocational education in the country in order to make it meet the demands of the times. |
13.09.2010, 12:29
Ousted child emperor’s remains discoveredArchaeologists believe they have found the remains of the Russian Emperor Ivan VI, who was ousted from power in childhood and spent more then two decades in solitary confinement before being murdered. |
I would definitely get this device. I worry about my son in his residency falling asleep while driving. The hours are outrageous and you'd think the medical profession would be smarter about the risks they are putting their patients and doctors in.
Excellent Idea, and every little idea to stop accidents is welcomed. As the statement from Luca Valenzin Sept 01, 2010. 23:00 reads: 'to doze off in a Russian road is a bit more difficult than in a American highway' well I cannot say much about this as I have not been to either Russia or America (one day maybe!), but to me, I think anywhere in the world should experiment with this little gadget, and experiment by using it even just for a year and who knows, it might be the safest gadget on th market. Well done to the person who invented this idea, and well done Russia for having this inventor in your country. By the way, something should be done to stop other countries or ANYONE infact, from copying his invention. (Why can't the BBC News or Sky News (too much sport shown) be as interesting as RT?