Ford develops new device to keep lorry drivers awake

If a motorist falls asleep at the wheel, it can cause a major accident – if the driver of a 44-tonne HGV does the same, it can cause catastrophe. To help prevent incidents like this occurring, the Brazilian arm of Ford has come up with a high-tech wearable device which will wake up a driver if it detects they're about to nod off.

The SafeCap looks just like a baseball cap, but hides an accelerometer and a gyroscope which can detect a driver's head movements. It's able to differentiate between intentional change, like checking the instrument panel or mirrors, and the pronounced head droop of a tired driver.