SmartCap detects fatigued brains

I guess with the advent of technology, many things can carry the “smart” tag – after all, it is not too hard to cram in a tiny microchip here and there to make a particular, everyday household item or even a piece of clothing gain some sort of “brains”. After all, even if paint can be turned into smart paint, what’s stopping one from rolling out a SmartCap? The Smartcap is a relatively new invention from Australia’s EdanSafe, where it is capable of measuring employee fatigue in real time through the monitoring of its wearer’s brain waves. Of course, you would first need to wear a cap for that to happen, so those who are averse to wearing caps might feel uncomfortable with the idea. Good thing it is fully washable, thanks to the use of waterproof sensors in its lining. These sensors are used to measure electrical activity that originate in the brain, at the scalp level, and you need not prepare your scalp in any way beforehand.

Each second, a custom algorithm will analyze the data it receives from said sensors in order to tell whether the wearer is alert or not. All information will be transmitted by Bluetooth to a linked device including a smartphone, or over to the dedicated SmartCap touchscreen monitor, letting you see for yourself your fatigue level. If those levels were to drop to dangerous levels, audible and visual alarms will kick in. Heck, there is no way to hide your fatigue by not wearing the cap, as taking it off will alert those sensors as well. Should luxury liner captains wear one of these?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gadgets, Medical