Monebo Technologies Issued Patent for Driver Fatigue Monitoring System

System Designed to save lives, reduce the number of accidents, and lower property damage and insurance costs by early identification of driver drowsiness.

Austin, TX (PRWEB) September 24, 2007 -- Monebo Technologies, a leader in the monitoring and interpretation of the electrical activity of the heart, today announced it has been issued a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its innovative approach to Driver Fatigue monitoring. Monebo's patent 7,254,439, "Method and system for contactless evaluation of fatigue of an operator," provides a novel approach to the issue of driver attentiveness. The patent describes a device that will be attached to a safety belt, or embedded in a seat back, monitoring the driver's level of fatigue, and alerting them if they become drowsy. The device should significantly improve the safety of the operator and those with which they share the road.     

    

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that at least 100,000 crashes, 1,500 deaths, 71,000 injuries, and $12.5 billion in monetary losses occur each year as the result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. In the National Sleep Foundation's 2005 Sleep in America poll, 60% of adult drivers - about 168 million people - say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and 37% have actually fallen asleep at the wheel. Of those who have nodded off, 13% say they have done so at least once a month, and 4% admit they have had an accident or near accident because they dozed off or were too tired to drive.

    

The Monebo System is designed to identify the level of fatigue of the driver by continuous monitoring of the variability of their cardiac activity. This is used as input for evaluation and quantitative assessment of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system, which are reliable markers of the physiologic condition of the driver. The system is designed to be easily implemented, and would only be noticed if fatigue was detected, and an alert was sent to the driver.

    

"We are excited by the significant benefits this technology may provide," said Dale Misczynski, President and CEO of Monebo. "Driver fatigue is a major problem worldwide, with significant repercussions to individuals, families, and communities. A simple solution that is easily implemented may help prevent the tragedies that occur all too often. We are pleased that Monebo can leverage its considerable expertise in cardiac monitoring to this important and costly issue."

    

Monebo Technologies, Inc. is a private company based in Austin, Texas, dedicated to developing technology to monitor and interpret the electrical activity of the heart. The company is focused on providing solutions to allow patients and physicians to manage and reduce problems associated with cardiac disease, and have developed technology for ambulatory cardiac monitoring, home care, and pharmaceutical cardiac safety trials. Monebo's proprietary digital signal processing algorithms, highly developed sensor technology, and wireless communication capabilities provide accurate real-time monitoring information, with increased patient mobility.

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