Volvo's Driver Alert

Volvo has announced a system to help driver's fatigue. Called 'Driver Alert', the camera-based system monitors what the car is doing as it is driven down the road. This is different from other, similar, systems, which monitor the steering wheel or the driver's eye movement.

"This gives us a more reliable indication if something is likely to go wrong, allowing the system time to alert the driver before it is too late," explains Dr. Wolfgang Birk, project manager for Driver Alert at Volvo Cars. "We do not monitor human behavior — which varies from one person to another — but instead the system monitors the effect of that behavior. That is why there is less of a risk for false alarms." The picture at right shows the camera at the heart of the system.

Volvo expects to release the system within two years.