Heads Up Glasses

Team 13

TA: Christine Wu

M-Shop Instructor: Izzy Lambobard

Problem Statement

Non-commercial drivers need a way to be alerted when drifting into sleep or distraction in order to avoid car accidents.

Drowsy driving: driving while sleepy or fatigued

Distracted driving: driving while not looking at the road

Leads to slower reaction time and paying less attention while driving
Causes great risk, danger, and tragic accidents

How big is this problem?

Distracted Driving

3,142 deaths

8% of all fatal crashes

caused on annual basis.

Drowsy Driving

6,000 deaths

50,000 injuries

91,000 crashes

$109B costs to society

caused on annual basis.

Sources:

Drowsy driving data: CDC & National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Distracted driving data: Insurance Information Institute

Users & Purchasers

Who are the users?

Non-commercial drivers

Anyone who drives frequently for long periods of time
Prone to distraction/falling asleep at the wheel
Don’t have resources for expensive technology

Ex: Students, Uber drivers

Target more accident-prone 16-24 year olds

Who are the purchasers?

Non-commercial drivers
Concerned parents
Incentivized by insurance agencies

State of the Art

There are many innovations that all under three main types of drowsiness detection measures.

However, each of these innovations are incredibly expensive, meaning that most drivers have no protection against drowsy or distracted driving.

Source: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/20784

Vehicle-based technology

Lane monitoring technology

Detects when car is drifting out of its lane using a camera and notifies driver through sound, visual, and/or vibration alerts

Limitations

Price
Accessibility
Portability

Behavioral methods

Optalert driving glasses

Wearable glasses monitor drivers’ eye movement to detect drowsiness

Limitations

Price ($4000)

Maven Machines headset

Smart bluetooth headset measures head movements and mirror checks to monitor drivers’ alertness rates

Limitations

Not on the market
Designed for specific audience

Physiological methods

SmartCap

Measures alertness and fatigue by analyzing brain activity (EEG) and delvers digital alerts

Limitations

Not on the market for consumers
Embedded into wearable hard hats

Specifications

Based on user needs, we determined that cost, accuracy, and safety were the most important specifications and should be weighed 2x as heavily.

Prototypes

Initial Prototype

Idea: metal ball sits inside of a tube attached to the side of a pair of glasses. The metal ball would hit a sensor located at the front end of the tube when the user's head tilts forward and sound off an alarm.

Sketch of Initial Idea:

Video of Initial Prototype:

IMG_7097.mov

Working Prototype

After working with Prof. Truex, we learned about the tilt sensor which follows the same concept. We then began the circuitry process using the tilt sensor, an arduino, a buzzer as the alarm, a battery as the power source, and foam core to make our first working prototype for testing.

Final Prototype: Works-Like

As we prototyped, we decided to create a glasses attachment instead of glasses as it would be cheaper to produce from a business stand-point and more customizable for users.

After finalizing our works-like design, we created our prototype using Solid-Works and 3D printing. This prototype includes three parts: the box with clip attachment, a screw on lid, and a mounting plate which allows users to adjust the angle in which the sensor would be tilted at. Because everyone is a different height and may drive different cars, we used the mounting plate to make sure that it would be adjustable for our users for easy use.

As shown in the demonstration video, when the driver is no longer looking ahead in their line of vision, the tilt sensor would send the signal for the alarm to go off.

IMG_1472.MOV

Final Prototype: Looks-Like

Due to time constraints, there are ways in which we wanted to improve and add to our prototype but didn't have the time to build out. Therefore, we also created a "looks-like" prototype which is ultimately what the goal of our product would be.

Additional Features of "Looks-Like" Prototype

Smaller, more compact device
- Using smaller battery holders and arduinos
Uses an accelerometer as sensor rather than tilt sensor
- Works in multiple planes, whereas tilt sensor only works with forward and backward tilt
- ability to customize code - potential for less false alarms and higher accuracy of detection

As seen on the right, the "looks-like" prototype would still work just like the "works-like" prototype above.

IMG_1475.MOV

SolidWorks Sketch: Box

SolidWorks Sketch: Lid

Testing & User Feedback

Testing Plan

IMG_1394.mov

Testing Accuracy of Detecting Driver’s Line of Vision

We tested how accurate the device was at detecting specified angle and activating alert
- When the trigger angle was set at 20 degrees below eye line, the device accurately triggered the alarm 88% of the time (44/50).
Specification: accurate 90% of the time

Testing False Alarms for 4 different codes

Different sensor code we tested:

Instant alert
- If (triggered) sound alarm
500 ms delay
- If (triggered) wait 500 ms, if still (triggered) sound alarm
1 s delay
- If (triggered) wait 1 s, if still (triggered) sound alarm
Loop check
- If (triggered) check again every 100 ms for 500 ms, if always (triggered) sound alarm

Blind Spot Checking

IMG_7135.MOV

100-Yard Deceleration

IMG_7129.mov

Blind Spot Test Data

Shows 1 second delay code to be the safest (meets our specification)

Deceleration Test Data

Shows 1 second delay code to be the safest (closest to our specification)

Testing Safety

All 4 group members tested driving with the prototype
Surveyed 17 testers on safety of the device
- Rating: 4.58/5

Specification: Doesn’t inhibit ability to drive safely

Testing Ease of Use & Comfort

We surveyed 17 users on ease of use / comfort
- Ease of use rating: 4.71/5
  - 2-step setup process
- Comfort rating: 4.35/5

Specification: comfortable, easy one-time installation or one-step setup process

Calculating Expected Battery Life of Product

Battery voltage: 6V or 367mAh
Arduino nano (19mAh) + Accelerometer (.35mAh) + Buzzer (20mAh)

Battery life = 367mAh / (19mAh + .35mAh + 20mAh)
Battery life = 9.33 hrs (for continuous buzzing)
Battery life = 19 hrs (without buzzing)

Future Considerations & Business Plan

Ethical Issues

Safety while driving
- Did not find driving with alert unsafe or detector to be obtrusive (through testing)
Testing process
- Testing in a stationary car
- Controlled environment
Accuracy
- This is a late-stage intervention - could lead to users becoming too reliant on device therefore engaging in unsafe drowsy driving practices
- Plan to make users aware of this concern

Sustainability Approach

Minimal materials used for box design
Running on low voltage battery
- Rechargeable batteries/power source in the long term
Sustainable packaging and shipping
Encourage recycling of electronic parts
Pay workers ethically

Business Model Summary

Variable Costs

Fixed Costs

Breakeven Sales Volume

Total Market Size = 37,707,958 (based on drivers who admit to texting and driving).

Next Steps

What could be improved about our prototype?
- Increased comfort, add rubber edges
- Clip adjustable for more glasses types
- Explore even smaller parts to build a smaller device

Reflections

What did we learn in the process?

Big Picture Takeaways

Testing is important
Build fast and early
Materials are limited

Skills

Solidworks
Circuits (how to use an arduino and soldering)
3D printing

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Prof. Vicki May, Izzy Lambobard and M-Shop Instructors, Prof. Tad Truex, Chris Vollmann and the Thayer Instrument Room, Christine and the TAs, and our classmates!

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