PS25515 Warden Automotive Driver Alertness Monitoring System

Plessey’s award winning EPIC™ sensor technology has been creating considerable interest with car manufacturers as it can be used to provide low cost, reliable detection systems for several automotive applications.

Using EPIC™ (Electric Potential Integrated Circuit) sensing technology, Plessey has developed WARDEN™, a new heart-rate based driver alertness monitoring system.

The WARDEN™ system uses an array of sensors to detect changes in electric potential in the human body. WARDEN™ senses the electrical impulses of the heart without direct skin contact and returns an accurate R peak signal from the users ECG, this in turn can be used to calculate heart rate variance (HRV).

In the end application the EPIC™ sensor electrodes can be easily and discretely incorporated inside vehicle seatbacks to access the necessary biometric signals and provide earlier warning of drowsiness or health issues than systems based on eye or head movement. WARDEN™ can be used to provide an indication of the driver’s alertness, signalling to them when they need to stop and take a break.