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Component 1 TASK: 1 Drivers fall asleep on the road on a daily basis which can sometimes lead to fatal car accidents. As drivers, we may fall asleep on the road for different reasons like fatigue, sleep disorders, or side effects from medications. Due to these problems many drivers aspire for relief and safety. According to WebMD.com, “The latest study by British researchers suggests that at least one-third of all people involved in nonfatal accidents have posttraumatic stress disorder, persistent anxiety, depression, and phobias one year after the incident.” As stated by hemisyncforyou.com, “According to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of California in San Diego and in Canada and Colorado, sleep apnea may be the cause of as many as 567,000 vehicle crashes that cause 980 deaths and over $11 billion dollars in related costs a year.” It is obvious that sleeping on the road should be a major public concern.
TASK: 2 Biosensors To begin with, in our daily lives we use tools; equipment that make our tasks easier. From our pencils to our cars or from our beds to our refrigerators, Humankind has proved time and time again that many tools have been made useful for different reasons. Pencils are needed to write and how in the world would we conserve our food without refrigerators. Beds are needed for comfortable sleep and cars are used for transportation –short and long distances. In addition, a series of devices called biosensors can be added to this list. A biosensor is a chemical sensing device which has been used for different purposes over the years. Since 1962, according to “Biosensors: A tutorial Review”, biosensors have been used in society starting with the introduction of enzyme electrodes. Examples of biosensors include biochips and glucometers. The development of many biosensors has provided significant help in the medical field, physical therapy, music, and the video game industries and engineering. As technology improves biosensor devices are able to perform more tasks. Because of the evolving technologies, we can consider use of these devices in addressing the safety needs of drivers. Many drivers may owe their lives to use of biosensors, as they may have been used in one or more medical procedures. For instance, partially thanks may be given to Leland C. Clark who came up with the first enzyme electrodes. The feasibility of biosensoring was first demonstrated by Leland C. Clark in the mid-1960s, when he measured glucose concentration in solution using what has since become known as the Clark oxygen electrode. In conclusion, it is evident that many things that we take for granted in our daily lives provide us with more support than we realize. The Personal Alert System (PAS) will revolutionize the way drivers commute, functioning as a personal heart rate monitor. Research shows that your heart rate decreases as you fall asleep (Waldeck & Lambert, 2003); the PAS will use this to its advantage by allowing drivers to personalize the settings for each individual. Each driver has the option to set PAS settings that are better suited to their personal needs. It will notify the driver when he/she may be getting sleepy by alarming the driver in his or her preferred way. For example, the driver has the option to set alerts as alarms or vibrations. TASK: 3 Danilo De Rossi of Smartex is working on the use of clothes to monitor heart rate. According to Sciencedaily.com, “The Cardiomobile system works by the patient attaching to their chests a mini ECG (electrocardiogram or heart signal) monitor and wearing a cap with a lightweight GPS receiver, both connected to a mobile phone via Bluetooth.” This project is lead Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation. The research of these scientists has provided our group with the insight to attain our goals for this project. Using their documented works, we can apply similar methods of research to create a system that will benefit drivers who fall sleep on the road. In addition, ProForm Treadmill - The Pro Form 3.6 Treadmill features an EKG TM Grip (hand pulse sensor) to monitor your heart rate. The Pro Form 3.6 Folding Treadmills Console displays track speed, time, distance, calories, incline and pulse. Apple - iPhone - Application for the iPhone: Heart Monitor uses the iPhone microphone--especially the one built into your headphones--to record and track your heartbeat from your chest, wrist or neck. A more recent product that relates to our project’s NCT technical application would be the heart monitor watch. The watch will monitor your heart rate and once the person’s heart rate fall below the programmed heart rate for the watch then the watch will vibrate or make a noise to arouse the person.
References Iphone:
Proform Treadmill: http://www.prosportuk.com/details/2/235/307
“Could Clothes Be Made to Monitor Heart Beat, Other Vital Signs, Automatically?”, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221102208.htm, February 25, 2008. “Mini ECG Gets Heart Attack Rehab Patients Mobile”, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717102406.htm, July 18, 2008. Watch: Pictures: Car Crash Picture http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008/07/update_fatal_headon_crash_caus.html
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Personal Alert System (PAS) |