The amount of units you’ve drunk will tell you if you’re within the safe legal limit for driving. But there are fewer easy ways to be alerted if you’re too tired to be safely behind the wheel of your car. A new in-car device called Ridy aims to change that, though — and it’s using state-of-the-art facial recognition to help.
The Ridy smart camera attaches easily to your dashboard or windshield. It then uses machine learning technology to watch your face as you drive and notice behavior suggesting that you may be tired or distracted. This might include things like how often you blink, facial expressions such as yawns, or how often you look away from the road. If a certain threshold is passed, Ridy will give you a verbal warning.
“Young drivers can benefit a lot from this device,” co-founder Yuri Galt told Digital Trends. “They often start texting or using Snapchat while driving. If you have a 16-18 years old kid and you buy him a car, get him a Ridy as well. Professional drivers such as Uber drivers can also benefit from this, [along with] busy parents that lack sleep, and any person who texts a lot while driving.”
Ridy isn’t the only example of technology designed for this task that we’ve covered at Digital Trends. Last year, my colleague Dyllan Furness wrote about an intriguing wearable device intended to vibrate to wake up drivers in the event they start to doze off. Unfortunately, based on the Kickstarter comments it appears to have not shipped as promised.
Several car manufacturers, including Audi, Mercedes and Volvo, also offer driver drowsiness detection systems based on their vehicle’s movements. Judged on metrics such as the angle of the steering wheel and time driven, the cars can advise you when you might want to consider taking a break to recharge your mental batteries.
As ever, we’d advise that you’re aware of the potential risks associated with pledging crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you’re happy to go ahead then head over to the team’s Indiegogo page where they are aiming to raise $25,000. Ridy prices start at $89 with shipping set to begin in July.
