Blink Research Articles

MORSE CODE-BASED AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM

To tackle analytically complex issues, data science is a multidisciplinary combination of data inference, algorithm development, and technology. Nearly every industry, including business, finance, healthcare, and education, uses data science to manage massive volumes of data. Practical uses include text prediction, image processing, identity recognition, audio processing for speech, stock movement, and cancer prediction. Given that the majority of individuals on the planet have issues with security and authentication, For those who use Morse Code for self-authentication, we can offer real-time eye tracing for password authentication. As we all know, the 21st century has seen significant support for advancements in authorization and authentication technology. Since the late 1990s, personal identification numbers, or PINs, have been extensively used for user authentication and security. These days, it is easy to crack PIN codes, so we would rather use a different strategy. On the other hand, PIN authentication using hands-off gaze-based PIN entry techniques offers a more secure password entry option because it leaves no physical traces behind. Key Words: Morse code, Face recognition, Pin Entry, Eye Blinks, Gaze based

DROWSINESS AND ALCOHOL DETECTION USING ARDUINO

Accidents on road ways are increasing in our day to day lives. These accidents pose significant threats to human safety and well-being. There are several ways for reduction of accidents. Some of them are Drowsiness detection and Alcoholic detection. By using sensors, communication devices and algorithms, the system aims to identify potential hazards. This abstract presents a comprehensive approach to accident reduction using Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Drowsiness Detection System aims to mitigate the risks of drowsy driving and enhance road safety. By utilizing an Arduino microcontroller and various sensors, this system continuously monitors the driver’s vital signs and facial expressions. It analyzes parameters such as eye blink patterns, head movements, and heart rate to accurately identify signs of drowsiness. Upon detecting drowsiness, the system promptly alerts the driver through alarms or visual cues, prompting them to take necessary actions to prevent accidents. This project serves as a vital tool in reducing road accidents caused by driver drowsiness, ensuring safer journeys for all. This project presents the design and implementation of an Alcohol Detection with Engine Locking for cars using Arduino UNO as the MCU (Master Control Unit). The system will continuously monitor level of alcohol concentration in alcohol detection sensor and thus turn off the engine of vehicle if the alcohol concentration is above threshold level. The model will also send the message of whereabouts of the vehicle through SIM900A. The project provides an efficient solution to control accidents due to drunk driving Key Words: Arduino UNO, Sensor Fusion, Real time monitoring, MQ-3 sensor, GPS module, GSM module, Telematics.

Application of conjunctival graft surgery in the treatment of corneal ulcers in dogs

The study of conjunctival graft surgery for treating corneal ulcers in dogs was conducted at Alpha Pet Veterinary Clinic and Bang Pham Veterinary Hospital from August 2021 to August 2022. Dogs were clinically examined with corneal ulcers and corneal perforations, corneal reflexes, and then fluorescein 2% reagent was used to examine and measure the diameter of the corneal damaged area by using Castroviejo calipers. The surgical method of conjunctival stem grafting was applied and evaluated effects of treatment on corneal ulcers in dogs. A total of 3,024 dogs were examined and treated during the study period. There were 195 dogs with eye diseases, accounting for 6.45% of the cases. The rate of corneal ulcers was 15.90% (31/195 cases). Among the corneal ulcer cases, conjunctival graft surgery was performed in 14 cases. The successful rate of conjunctival stem grafting was 71.43%. The complication rate of conjunctival stem grafting was 42.86%, in which 2 cases of mild complications were successfully treated. The average wound healing duration was 39.45 days. The occurrence of complications depended on the types of complication. Mild complications including suture detachment and corneal edema appeared after 2.5 to 5.5 days while corneal epithelial cysts and ocular edema occurred at 22 to 42 days after surgery. Therefore, this method could be used in treatment of corneal ulcers, particularly in cases of deep ulcers or corneal perforations that required to directly connect to blood vessels.

Developing a quantitative method of mangiferin in rabbit lacrimal fluid as a tool for investigating pre-cornea drug residence

Mangiferin (MGF) has been evidenced to effectively treat infectious diseases caused by Herpes simplex virus, especially on the acyclovir-resistant strains. For ophthalmic disease treatment, prolonging drug retention in the eyes plays an essential role in effectively delivering drugs, which are prone to elimination by eye blinking and tear fluid secretion. The objective of this study was to develop a method for analysis of MGF in tear fluid that can be further utilised to evaluate the kinetics of precornea drug concentration. For sample collection, lacrimal tear fluid was absorbed into pre-weighed absorbing paper strips, which were then immediately weighed again right after sampling to calculate the sample mass. Subsequently, MGF was extracted from the paper strips using a mixture of methanol : acetic acid 0.6% (35:65, v/v). The extracted solution was finally injected into an HPLC system for MGF analysis (RP-column C18 - 4.6 x 250 mm, 5 μm was stabilised at 40oC; moblie phase methanol : acetic acid 0.6%; 35 : 65 (v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min; autosampler, injection volume 10 µL; detection wavelength: 258 nm). The developed methodology was validated following the U.S. FDA and ICH M10 guidances for bioanalytical method validation, with respect to system suitability, linearity, recovery, accuracy and precision, dilution integrity and stability. The method was also successfully employed to determine MGF concentration in the tear fluid collected from rabbit eyes at one hour after instilling with MGF suspension. The methodology herein provides a practical tool to investigate kinetics of MGF in tear fluid that can be applied in ophthalmic drug development as well as drug quality evaluation activities.

Collision Avoidance Systems for Vehicle Safety Using Ultrasonic Distance Sensing Eye Blink Sensor and Alcohol Detector

Car wrecks are increasingly seen as a major safety issue; damage and fatality reports from these collisions are frequent. There are also more pedestrians who are killed by automobile accidents in cities and on highways. Additionally, autonomous cars often kill wild creatures that go farther into nature reserves. One cannot put a figure on the cost of a life, yet auto accidents hurt assets. This study looks at the creation and use of a complete collision avoidance system with the goal of improving vehicle safety by using cutting-edge technology. The suggested system includes an alcohol detector to stop accidents caused by intoxicated driving, an eye blink sensor to identify driver weariness, and an ultrasonic distance sensor to enable automated braking and collision avoidance. These sensors are seamlessly integrated to identify possible traffic dangers and initiate necessary reactions, all without depending on driver participation, thanks to the use of Arduino microcontrollers. The system design, methodology, and experimental findings are discussed in the study, which also shows how successful this integrated approach is at reducing road accidents. This study advances the global objective of increasing road safety by democratizing access to cutting-edge safety features that were previously only available in expensive cars.

Video-based analysis of the blink reflex in Parkinson’s disease patients

We developed a video-based tool to quantitatively assess the Glabellar Tap Reflex (GTR) in patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (iPD) as well as healthy age-matched participants. We also video-graphically assessed the effect of dopaminergic medication on the GTR in iPD patients, as well as the frequency and blinking duration of reflex and non-reflex blinks. The Glabellar Tap Reflex is a clinical sign seen in patients e.g. suffering from iPD. Reliable tools to quantify this sign are lacking. Methods: We recorded the GTR in 11 iPD patients and 12 healthy controls (HC) with a consumer-grade camera at a framerate of at least 180 images/s. In these videos, reflex and non-reflex blinks were analyzed for blink count and blinking duration in an automated fashion. Results: With our setup, the GTR can be extracted from high-framerate cameras using landmarks of the MediaPipe face algorithm. iPD patients did not habituate to the GTR; dopaminergic medication did not alter that response. iPD patients’ non-reflex blinks were higher in frequency and higher in blinking duration (width at half prominence); dopaminergic medication decreased the median frequency (Before medication—HC: p < 0.001, After medication—HC: p = 0.0026) and decreased the median blinking duration (Before medication—HC: p = 0.8594, After medication—HC: p = 0.6943)—both in the direction of HC. Conclusion: We developed a quantitative, video-based tool to assess the GTR and other blinking-specific parameters in HC and iPD patients. Further studies could compare the video data to electromyogram (EMG) data for accuracy and comparability, as well as evaluate the specificity of the GTR in patients with other neurodegenerative disorders, in whom the GTR can also be present. Significance: The video-based detection of the blinking parameters allows for unobtrusive measurement in patients, a safer and more comfortable option.

Differences in behaviour, facial expressions and locomotion between positive anticipation and frustration in horses

Animal welfare is a result of accumulated negative and positive emotions. Therefore, it is important to limit the former and promote the latter. Doing so requires a precise identification of these emotions. The aim of this study was to characterize the behaviours, facial expressions and locomotor parameters of 21 horses in two conditions with opposite valence, presumed to induce positive anticipation and frustration. In the positive anticipation situation, the horse was led to a bucket of food, knowing that they would be allowed to eat it. In the frustration situation, experimenters indicated to the horse that food was available without allowing them to eat it. In the positive anticipation situation, horses exhibited a lower neck position with the ears forward and upper lip advanced and went faster by increasing their stride frequency accompanied by increased global locomotor activity. In the frustration situation, horses exhibited a higher neck position with the ears backward or to the side, accompanied by ear movements and eye blinks, and interacted more with the experimenters. This study describes new possible indicators of positive anticipations and frustration in horses.

Artificial intelligence of things for smart cities: advanced solutions for enhancing transportation safety

In the context of smart cities, ensuring road safety is crucial due to increasing urbanization and the interconnected nature of contemporary urban environments. Leveraging innovative technologies is essential to mitigate risks and create safer communities. Thus, there is a compelling imperative to develop advanced solutions to enhance road safety within smart city frameworks. In this article, we introduce a comprehensive vehicle safety framework tailored specifically for smart cities in the realm of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). This framework seamlessly integrates a variety of sensors, including eye blink, ultrasonic, and alcohol sensors, to bolster road safety. The utilization of eye blink sensor serves to promptly detect potential hazards, alerting drivers through audible cues and thereby enhancing safety on smart city roads. Moreover, ultrasonic sensors provide real time information about surrounding vehicle speeds, thereby facilitating smoother traffic flow. To address concerns related to alcohol consumption and its potential impact on road safety, our framework incorporates a specialized sensor that effectively monitors the driver’s alcohol levels. In instances of high alcohol content, the system utilizes GPS and GSM technology to automatically adjust the vehicle’s speed while simultaneously notifying pertinent authorities for prompt intervention. Additionally, our proposed system optimizes inter-vehicle communication in smart cities by leveraging Li-Fi technology, enabling faster and more efficient data transmission via visible light communication (VLC). The integration of Li-Fi enhances connectivity among connected vehicles, contributing to a more cohesive and intelligent urban transportation network. Through the structured integration of AIoT technologies, our framework lays a robust foundation for a safer, smarter, and more sustainable future in smart city transportation. It offers significant advancements in road safety and establishes the groundwork for further enhancement in intelligent urban transportation networks.

Feature Extraction from Regenerated EEG – A Better Approach for ICA Based Eye Blink Artifact Detection

Purpose: Independent Component Analysis (ICA) decomposition is a commonly used technique for eye blink artifact detection from Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Feature extraction from the decomposed ICs is a prime step for blink detection. This paper presents a new model of eye blink detection for ICA based approach, where the decomposed ICs are projected to their corresponding EEG segments (ReEEG), and feature extraction is performed on the ReEEG instead of the IC. ReEEG represents the eye blink activity more distinctly. Hence, ReEEG-based feature extraction is more potential in detecting eye blink artifacts than the traditional IC-based feature extraction.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: This paper employs twelve EEG features to substantiate the superiority of ReEEG over IC. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used as a classifier. A dataset, having 2638 clinical EEG epochs, is employed. All the considered twelve features are extracted from ReEEG and fed to SVM one at a time for blink detection. Then the obtained results are compared with an IC-based model with the same features.&#x0D; Results: The comparison reveals the success of the proposed ReEEG-based blink detection approach over the traditional IC-based approach. Accuracy, precision, recall, and f1 scores are calculated as performance measuring metrics. For almost all features, ReEEG-based approach achieved up to 12.25% higher accuracy, 24.95% higher precision, 13.49% higher recall, and 12.89% higher f1 score than the IC-based traditional method.&#x0D; Conclusion: The proposed model will be useful for researchers in dealing with the eye blink artifacts of EEG signals with more efficacy.

Transmucosal administration of pentobarbital and phenytoin solution induces euthanasia in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).

To assess the efficacy of transmucosal euthanasia solution to induce euthanasia. 6 bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). An initial dose of euthanasia solution containing pentobarbital and phenytoin sodium was administered transmucosally in conscious lizards (100 mg/kg pentobarbital dose), followed by a second dose 20 minutes later (400 mg/kg pentobarbital dose). The presence of movement, leakage of euthanasia solution, behaviors consistent with oral irritation, respiratory rate, heart rate, palpebral and corneal reflex, and response to noxious stimuli were recorded until death, confirmed by the absence of Doppler cardiac flow and cardiac electrical activity. The time to loss of all parameters was calculated. Postmortem evaluation allowed for histopathologic evaluation of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract to detect potential mucosal damage from the alkaline euthanasia solution. The median time to death was 300 minutes (range, 300 to 360 minutes), median time to respiratory arrest was 30 minutes (range, 30 to 50 minutes), and median time to loss of deep pain response was 30 minutes (range, 20 to 50 minutes). Signs consistent with oral irritation occurred in 4 of 6 (66.7%) lizards, including 2 lizards that exhibited whole-body spasms after euthanasia solution administration. Histopathologic changes indicating peracute mucosal ulceration, suspected to be from caustic causes, were identified in 1 (1/6 [16.7%]) lizard. Transmucosal euthanasia solution administration resulted in clinical euthanasia within 6 hours. This method should be utilized only after premedication with analgesic and/or anesthetic medications due to the potential for acute mucosal ulceration and behaviors that may be distressing in client-owned animals.

Predictive value of Blink reflex and facial corticobulbar motor evoked potential in cerebellopontine angle tumor surgery

ObjectiveThe current study examined the efficacy of the facial corticobulbar motor evoked potentials (FCoMEPs) and blink reflex (BR) on predicting postoperative facial nerve function during cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor surgery. MethodsData from 110 patients who underwent CPA tumor resection with intraoperative FCoMEPs and BR monitoring were retrospectively reviewed. The association between the amplitude reduction ratios of FCoMEPs and BR at the end of surgery and postoperative facial nerve function was determined. Subsequently, the optimal threshold of FCoMEPs and BR for predicting postoperative facial nerve dysfunction were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. ResultsValid BR was record in 103 of 110 patients, whereas only 43 patients successfully recorded FCoMEP in orbicularis oculi muscle. A reduction over 50.3% in FCoMEP (O. oris) amplitude was identified as a predictor of postoperative facial nerve dysfunction (sensitivity, 77.1%; specificity, 83.6%). BR was another independent predictor of postoperative facial nerve deficit with excellent predictive performance, especially eyelid closure function. Its optimal cut-off value for predicting long-term postoperative eyelid closure dysfunction was was 51.0% (sensitivity, 94.4%; specificity, 94.4%). ConclusionsBR can compensate for the deficiencies of the FCoMEPs. The combination of BR and FCoMEPs can be used in CPA tumor surgery. SignificanceThe study first proposed an optimal cut-off value of BR amplitude deterioration (50.0%) for predicting postoperative eyelid closure deficits in patients undergoing CPA tumor surgery.

Good outcome prediction after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A prospective multicenter observational study in Korea (the KORHN-PRO registry)

AimTo assess the ability of clinical examination, biomarkers, electrophysiology and brain imaging, individually or in combination to predict good neurological outcomes at 6 months after CA. MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of the Korean Hypothermia Network Prospective Registry 1.0, which included adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients (≥18 years). Good outcome predictors were defined as both pupillary light reflex (PLR) and corneal reflex (CR) at admission, Glasgow Coma Scale Motor score (GCS-M) >3 at admission, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) <17 µg/L at 24–72 h, a median nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) N20/P25 amplitude >4 µV, continuous background without discharges on electroencephalogram (EEG), and absence of anoxic injury on brain CT and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). ResultsA total of 1327 subjects were included in the final analysis, and their median age was 59 years; among them, 412 subjects had a good neurological outcome at 6 months. GCS-M >3 at admission had the highest specificity of 96.7% (95% CI 95.3–97.8), and normal brain DWI had the highest sensitivity of 96.3% (95% CI 92.9–98.4). When the two predictors were combined, the sensitivities tended to decrease (ranging from 2.7–81.1%), and the specificities tended to increase, ranging from81.3–100%. Through the explorative variation of the 2021 European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) prognostication strategy algorithms, good outcomes were predicted, with a specificity of 83.2% and a sensitivity of 83.5% in patients by the algorithm. ConclusionsClinical examination, biomarker, electrophysiology, and brain imaging predicted good outcomes at 6 months after CA. When the two predictors were combined, the specificity further improved. With the 2021 ERC/ESICM guidelines, the number of indeterminate patients and the uncertainty of prognostication can be reduced by using a good outcome prediction algorithm.

Project Awakesure: Intelligent Drowsiness Detection Using Eye Tracking

Being sleepy or drowsy is referred to as being drowsy. A person who is sleepy may feel exhausted or lethargic and struggle to stay awake. People who are sleepy tend to be less attentive and may even nod off, though they can still be awakened. An increasing number of vocations nowadays call for sustained focus. In order for drivers to respond quickly to unexpected incidents, they must maintain a watchful eye on the road. Many road incidents are directly caused by tired drivers. In order to drastically lower the frequency of fatigue-related auto accidents, it is crucial to develop technologies that can identify and alert a driver to a poor psychophysical state. However, there are many challenges in developing systems that can quickly and accurately recognize a driver's signs of fatigue. Using vision-based technology is one technological option for implementing driver fatigue monitoring systems. The available driver drowsiness detection systems are described in this article. Here, we are assessing the driver's level of sleepiness utilizing his visual system. The automated system for preventing accidents and monitoring sleepy drivers developed for this study is based on detecting variations in the length of eye blinks. Our recommended technique makes use of the eyes' postulated horizontal symmetry property to identify visual changes in eye positions. Our novel approach precisely positions a standard webcam in front of the driver's seat to identify eye blinks. It will identify the eyeballs based on a specific EAR (Eye Aspect Ratio).

Eye blinks as a visual processing stage

Humans blink their eyes frequently during normal viewing, more often than it seems necessary for keeping the cornea well lubricated. Since the closure of the eyelid disrupts the image on the retina, eye blinks are commonly assumed to be detrimental to visual processing. However, blinks also provide luminance transients rich in spatial information to neural pathways highly sensitive to temporal changes. Here, we report that the luminance modulations from blinks enhance visual sensitivity. By coupling high-resolution eye tracking in human observers with modeling of blink transients and spectral analysis of visual input signals, we show that blinking increases the power of retinal stimulation and that this effect significantly enhances visibility despite the time lost in exposure to the external scene. We further show that, as predicted from the spectral content of input signals, this enhancement is selective for stimuli at low spatial frequencies and occurs irrespective of whether the luminance transients are actively generated or passively experienced. These findings indicate that, like eye movements, blinking acts as a computational component of a visual processing strategy that uses motor behavior to reformat spatial information into the temporal domain.

Eye-LRCN: A Long-Term Recurrent Convolutional Network for Eye Blink Completeness Detection.

Computer vision syndrome causes vision problems and discomfort mainly due to dry eye. Several studies show that dry eye in computer users is caused by a reduction in the blink rate and an increase in the prevalence of incomplete blinks. In this context, this article introduces Eye-LRCN, a new eye blink detection method that also evaluates the completeness of the blink. The method is based on a long-term recurrent convolutional network (LRCN), which combines a convolutional neural network (CNN) for feature extraction with a bidirectional recurrent neural network that performs sequence learning and classifies the blinks. A Siamese architecture is used during CNN training to overcome the high-class imbalance present in blink detection and the limited amount of data available to train blink detection models. The method was evaluated on three different tasks: blink detection, blink completeness detection, and eye state detection. We report superior performance to the state-of-the-art methods in blink detection and blink completeness detection, and remarkable results in eye state detection.

Role of Facial Nerve Reconstruction With Anastomosis and Polyglycolic Acid Tube in Accelerating Functional Recovery After Axotomy in the Rat Facial Nucleus.

Facial nerve injuries stem from trauma or tumor surgery, triggering neurodegeneration and neuronal cell death in the facial nucleus, consequently inducing irreversible nerve paralysis. Following facial nerve transection, glial cells are activated and undergo proliferation, facilitating motor neuron survival, repair, and regeneration. Clinical approaches, including nerve anastomosis and hypoglossal nerve grafting, require delicate microscopic techniques. Recent advancements involve nerve reconstruction using polyglycolic acid (PGA) tubes, which yield nerve function improvement. However, the central pathophysiological effects of these procedures remain unclear. Therefore, using PGA tubes, we evaluated neurodegeneration and microglial inflammatory response in rats after facial nerve transection. Facial nerve functions were evaluated using vibrissae and blink reflex scores. In the end-to-end anastomosis and PGA tube reconstruction groups, a partial improvement in facial motor function was observed, with increased nerve fiber survival in the former. Approximately 90% of neurons survived in both groups, wherein gliosis exhibited increased microglial activation compared to that in the transection group. These results indicate that PGA tube-assisted nerve reconstruction post-facial nerve transection, although inferior to end-to-end anastomosis, improved certain functions and prevented neuronal cell death. Furthermore, the prolonged inflammatory response in the facial nerve nucleus underscored the correlation between neuronal function and survival and microglia.

Effect of nadolol in treatment of induced ocular hypertension in rabbits

In glaucoma, as optic neuropathy gradually proceeds unnoticed by the patient, early detection and treatment is of paramount importance in arresting or controlling the progress of damage. To explore effects of topical nadolol on intraocular pressure (IOP) ocular hypertensive eyes of rabbits. A group of 36 males of the rabbits were included in this study. Induction of ocular hypertension was achieved by injection of hydroxy propyl methylcellulose in the anterior chamber of rabbits right eye. The present study was designed to evaluate the possible beneficial therapeutic effect. The included rabbits were divided into distilled water group, timolol (0.25% and 0.5%) groups, and nadolol (0.25% and 0.5%). Each of drug eye drops (including distilled water) were instilled into right eyes 3 times/day for 10 days therapeutically. The rabbits had been examined for the IOP, pupil diameter, light reflex, corneal reflex, and conjunctival redness prior to instillation of drugs and along the trial period. Results: Ocular hypotensive effects of nadolol (0.25%) and (0.5%) eye drops were more efficient than that of distilled water (P&lt;0.01). Furthermore, nadolol eye drop was more efficient than timolol eye drop (0.01&gt;P&gt;0.05) in its ocular hypotensive effect in both concentrations along the trial period. In both parts of the present study and regarding each of mean pupil diameter, light reflex, corneal reflex and conjunctival redness, nadolol (0.25% or 0.5%) eye drops had no significant adverse effect (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: Nadolol eye drops instilled 3 times / day had an obvious beneficial, safe, and tolerable therapeutic ocular hypotensive effects on hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose - induced ocular hypertension in rabbits.

Advancements in Drowsiness Detection: A Review

This review study looks at current advancements in sleepiness detection technologies to address the urgent problem of driving while sleepy leading to accidents. In order to prevent future accidents, it analyzes several approaches and technology and emphasizes how crucial it is to correctly recognize drowsy conditions in drivers. Important results highlight the effectiveness of methods for real-time drowsiness detection such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), eye aspect ratio (EAR) analysis, and deep learning integration. Additionally, improvements in computer vision algorithms make it possible to precisely analyze facial landmarks and eye blinking patterns, which improves the accuracy of detection systems. In order to protect driver comfort and system reliability, the evaluation emphasizes the importance of non-intrusive fatigue detection techniques while also emphasizing the necessity to reduce false warnings. Remarkably, certain models detect drowsy-eye with an accuracy of above 95%. All things considered, the review emphasizes how important cutting-edge technology is in reducing the risks related to drunk driving, especially deep learning and computer vision algorithms. It promotes the deployment of reliable sleepiness detection technologies in order to increase road safety and reduce accidents brought on by fatigued drivers. Key Words: Drowsiness detection, Eye blink duration, Facial landmark detection, Deep learning algorithms, Computer vision, Eye aspect ratio, Road safety.

A survey on drowsiness detection system with advanced face tracking

To address the increasing dangers associated with driver and worker fatigue, this project introduces an advanced Drowsiness Detection System featuring state-of-the-art face-tracking capabilities. The pressing need for fatigue detection is evident in the alarming figures of 800 annual fatalities and 50,000 injuries resulting from drowsy driving incidents. This research expands the application of the technology to industrial workplaces, where the consequences of drowsiness are equally severe. Our comprehensive approach involves real-time monitoring of facial features, with a focus on eye movements and eyelid patterns. This system goes beyond traditional boundaries, covering drivers and industrial workers operating heavy machinery. By incorporating facial landmarks and introducing the innovative Eyes Aspect Ratio parameter, our technology offers a precise assessment of weariness in individuals within the current frame. This approach enhances safety measures in smart transportation systems and industrial settings. Integrating facial landmarks allows for a nuanced understanding of fatigue, recognizing subtle changes in facial expressions and movements indicative of drowsiness. The Eyes Aspect Ratio parameter, a novel addition, improves weariness assessment precision by considering factors such as eye closure duration, blink frequency, and gaze direction. These outcomes signify a significant contribution to road safety and broader workplace security. By mitigating inherent risks associated with drowsiness among industrial workers, our technology aims to reduce accidents, prevent injuries, and save lives across various occupational settings. The potential impact extends beyond individuals, influencing organizational safety protocols and contributing to the overall well-being of workers in high-risk environments.

Ocular effects of exposure to low-humidity environment with contact lens wear: A pilot study.

To compare the ocular effects of exposure to a low-humidity environment with and without contact lens (CL) wear using various non-invasive tests. Fourteen habitual soft CL wearers were exposed to controlled low humidity (5% relative humidity [RH]) in an environmental chamber for 90 min on two separate occasions. First, when wearing their habitual spectacles and then, on a separate visit, when wearing silicone hydrogel CLs that were fitted specifically for this purpose. All participants had adapted to the new CL prior to data collection. Three non-invasive objective measurements were taken at each visit: blinking rate, objective ocular scatter (measured using the objective scatter index) and ocular surface cooling rate (measured using a long-wave infrared thermal camera). At each visit, measurements were taken before the exposure in comfortable environmental conditions (RH: 45%), and after exposure to environmental stress (low humidity, RH: 5%). CL wearers showed increased blinking rate (p < 0.005) and ocular scatter (p = 0.03) but similar cooling rate of the ocular surface (p = 0.08) when compared with spectacle wear in comfortable environmental conditions. The exposure to low humidity increased the blinking rate significantly with both types of corrections (p = 0.01). Interestingly, ocular scatter (p = 0.96) and cooling rate (p = 0.73) were not significantly different before and after exposure to low humidity. There were no significant two-way interactions between correction and exposure in any of the measurements. CLs significantly increased the blinking rate, which prevented a quick degradation of the tear film integrity as it was refreshed more regularly. It is hypothesised that the increased blinking rate in CL wearers aids in maintaining ocular scatter quality and cooling rate when exposed to a low-humidity environment. These results highlight the importance of blinking in maintaining tear film stability.