The Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau, Germany, has developed a system that follows a driver’s eye movements and alerts them when they get drowsy.

Eyetracker uses two or more dashboard-mounted cameras that record images (around 200 per second) stereoscopically in three dimensions and can identify the spatial position of the pupil and the line of vision.

It can be installed in all car models and does not require any complicated calibration of the cameras, or a PC or a laptop.

Since the information is stored in a standard interface, the system can be connected directly to the car’s trip computer.

It is undetected when mounted behind the sun visor and in the dashboard and its lenses are three to four millimeters in diameter.

The system will be in display at the VISION trade fair in Stuttgart from 9-11 November this year.