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Update Date: 2008/08/31 04:09
[Reporter Zhong Lihua / Comprehensive Report]
Fatigue can be determined by voice! The Electronic Navigation Research Institute, under Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, has developed a "fatigue detection device" that can measure fatigue levels through voice and brain activity. Since May, trials have begun at bus stations in Tokyo, where the machine issues a warning if a driver fails the test before hitting the road.
This device was developed by Dr. Kenichi Tamimi, a researcher at the Electronic Navigation Research Institute. The testing method is simple: the device screen displays questions such as "feeling of fatigue," "vitality and strength," "bedtime and wake-up time," and "work start and end times." The test subject inputs their answers and then reads a short sentence displayed on the screen into a microphone. The test results appear within seconds. If fatigue is detected, the device will verbally remind the user to take a short rest.
The cost of this device is approximately 6 million yen (about 1.75 million Taiwanese dollars). Starting in May, experiments were conducted at bus stations in Tokyo, where drivers must undergo fatigue testing before driving. The device can also be installed directly in vehicles. It is suitable not only for regular bus drivers but also for truck, taxi, and train drivers, as well as pilots, air traffic controllers, and even doctors and nurses whose work involves judgment and concentration.
How can fatigue be determined through voice? Researchers claim that if a test subject is in a normal state, the various signals in the brain processing information will create a special "noise," which can be reflected in the voice. The device calculates the fatigue index through changes in the sound wave patterns. Even if someone tries to fake a tired voice, it will not affect the test results.
Researchers point out that there are many methods to detect fatigue, such as questionnaires, heart rate measurements, and assessing work efficiency. However, these methods have drawbacks, either lacking accuracy or requiring the subject to stop working to be tested, which may distort the results. The fatigue detection device allows for testing while working and does not impose physical or mental burdens on the subject.
Dr. Lai Dachang, director of the Department of Neurology at Zhenxing Hospital, stated that when a person is resting and relaxed, dense alpha waves appear in the brain, while excessive activity produces beta waves. However, there is no scientific evidence yet that brain waves can be quantified. He noted that while errors are more likely to occur when a person is fatigued, it is unclear whether this affects the voice. He added that since the research is still in the experimental stage, more studies and evidence are needed to confirm the findings.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 080831/ 78/ 153gz. html
New Invention Measures Fatigue Levels Using Sound
[Reporter Zhong Lihua / Comprehensive Report]
Fatigue can be determined by voice! The Electronic Navigation Research Institute, under Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, has developed a "fatigue detection device" that can measure fatigue levels through voice and brain activity. Since May, trials have begun at bus stations in Tokyo, where the machine issues a warning if a driver fails the test before hitting the road.
This device was developed by Dr. Kenichi Tamimi, a researcher at the Electronic Navigation Research Institute. The testing method is simple: the device screen displays questions such as "feeling of fatigue," "vitality and strength," "bedtime and wake-up time," and "work start and end times." The test subject inputs their answers and then reads a short sentence displayed on the screen into a microphone. The test results appear within seconds. If fatigue is detected, the device will verbally remind the user to take a short rest.
The cost of this device is approximately 6 million yen (about 1.75 million Taiwanese dollars). Starting in May, experiments were conducted at bus stations in Tokyo, where drivers must undergo fatigue testing before driving. The device can also be installed directly in vehicles. It is suitable not only for regular bus drivers but also for truck, taxi, and train drivers, as well as pilots, air traffic controllers, and even doctors and nurses whose work involves judgment and concentration.
How can fatigue be determined through voice? Researchers claim that if a test subject is in a normal state, the various signals in the brain processing information will create a special "noise," which can be reflected in the voice. The device calculates the fatigue index through changes in the sound wave patterns. Even if someone tries to fake a tired voice, it will not affect the test results.
Researchers point out that there are many methods to detect fatigue, such as questionnaires, heart rate measurements, and assessing work efficiency. However, these methods have drawbacks, either lacking accuracy or requiring the subject to stop working to be tested, which may distort the results. The fatigue detection device allows for testing while working and does not impose physical or mental burdens on the subject.
Dr. Lai Dachang, director of the Department of Neurology at Zhenxing Hospital, stated that when a person is resting and relaxed, dense alpha waves appear in the brain, while excessive activity produces beta waves. However, there is no scientific evidence yet that brain waves can be quantified. He noted that while errors are more likely to occur when a person is fatigued, it is unclear whether this affects the voice. He added that since the research is still in the experimental stage, more studies and evidence are needed to confirm the findings.
Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ art……url/ d/ a/ 080831/ 78/ 153gz. html