Hyderabad: Military College develops AI-based device to alert driver from dozing off

The prototype along with the technology was recently handed over by Lieutenant General TSA Narayanan, Commandant, MCEME and Colonel Commandant Corps of EME to Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the IT, Industries, and Commerce, Telangana government. Sundeep Kumar Maktala, President of Telangana Information and Technology Association (TITA), who collaborated with MCEME in the project was also present.

The device, meant to be fitted on the dashboard of a vehicle, uses sensors to monitor the eyes of the driver and raises an alarm if found closed for a certain period.

Ranjan, during the event, assured to evaluate the project and discuss with the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) for considering its application for use by heavy vehicles plying in the state.

Speaking to indianexpress.com, a spokesperson of MCEME said the system is a small, portable AI-based solution that can be mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle. “It is a modular system with plug and play facility and draws minimum power from the vehicle’s battery. It monitors the facial expressions of the driver in real-time and using AI analyses his/her eyes and face to assess if he/she is sleepy,” the spokesperson said.

“If the driver is observed as sleepy by the system, it sounds an alarm in the cabin in the form of a buzzer to warn the driver and co-driver. This will not only alert the driver but also let the co-driver take suitable action of either giving adequate rest to the driver or in case required a replacement,” he added.

The system works during the day and night. The system can also alert the superior through email.

When contacted, Maktala said MCEME and TITA are collaborating further to conduct hackathons in the future. “There were about 15 projects developed by MCEME but this AI-based Accident Prevention System solution is one such project which can be readily put to application. The state government could effectively use it for RTC buses or other modes of public transport,” he said.

“The IT department will discuss with the Transport department in this regard and decide the further course of action,” he added.