NEWS
AssistWare
Technology to Commercialize Driver Safety Technology
SafeTRAC becomes first commercially available lane departure / drowsy driver warning system
Pittsburgh, PA – January 22nd, 1999 - AssistWare Technology, Inc. a spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, is commercializing innovative technology to prevent crashes caused by driver drowsiness or inattention. The company, founded by CMU researchers Dean Pomerleau and Todd Jochem, is currently in discussions with car and truck OEM's and suppliers to make its 3rd generation system available on new vehicles.
The system, called SafeTRAC™, helps drivers stay alert, allowing them to drive safely and more comfortably on long trips. Unlike other alertness aids such as coffee or caffeine pills, SafeTRAC™ has no side effects and never wears off. "There are over 1.3 million roadway departure crashes every year that the SafeTRAC system can help prevent," says Pomerleau. "Once deployed, this technology will have an immediate impact on the safety of our nation's highways."
SafeTRAC™ offers a unique combination of preemptive drowsy driver detection and instantaneous lane departure warning. It measures the vehicle's position in the lane using images of the road ahead from a small video camera. If the vehicle begins to weave excessively or drift off the road, SafeTRAC™ triggers an audible alarm.
SafeTRAC™ has undergone over 80,000 miles of on-road testing in cars, trucks, and buses as part of a U.S. Department of Transportation sponsored evaluation program. "It can operate effectively in over 97% of all highway driving conditions, and gives false alarms less than once every 8 hours of driving," says Pomerleau.
The 3rd generation system is designed to be as small and easy to use as a radar detector and can be installed in a matter of minutes. Field trials are planned for Q2, 1999 and the company is actively looking for partners to test the system and validate its benefits. "We believe SafeTRAC will provide tangible safety and economic advantages for car and truck fleets who use it," says Jochem.
Founded in 1995 to commercialize the patented SafeTRAC™ technology, AssistWare Technology has customers in the US, Europe and Asia, and is recognized as a leader in the development of advanced vehicle safety components.
About Assistware Technology
Assistware is dedicated to improving highway safety through a suite of driver assistance aids. Introduced in 1999, SafeTRAC was the industry’s first commercially available Lane Departure Warning System. Today, SafeTRAC can be found on commercial truck and passenger vehicles worldwide. Assistware is committed to making the nation’s highways a safer place and will continue to introduce new products to support that goal.
For more information, visit: www.assistware.com or contact Mike Formica at 724-449-7235.
Assistware Technology l 724-449-SAFE (7233) l safetrac-sales@assistware.com