The car seat cradles the sleeping driver

Only 15 minutes are required for a motorist to feel sleepy and less alert, thanks to the vibrations of the car while driving. This is reported by researchers at RMIT University .

Their research shows that the natural vibrations of cars ensure that drivers gradually fall asleep. The comfortable car seat is one of the things that ensures that. Scientists hope that their findings can be used by manufacturers to improve the design of car seats to keep drivers awake.

1 of 5 s' endort

Driving is a major road safety problem. When you are tired, it does not take much time to nod and fall asleep. "In Australia, 1 in 5 people report being asleep at the wheel," Robinson says.

Simulating the vibration of the car seat

The study shows that the soft vibrations of the car seats while driving your brain and your sleeping body, even in the well-rested and in good people health. Under the supervision of Robinson and researcher Mohammad Fard, this was surpassed by placing 15 people in a virtual simulator. He had to simulate the driving experience on a monotonous two-lane highway

The simulator was installed on a platform that could be tuned to different movement frequencies. The participants were tested twice: once with vibrations at low frequencies (4-7 Hz) and once without vibrations. Fatigue caused by vibration makes the performance of cognitive tasks more psychologically and physiologically difficult. Thus, the body's nervous system is activated to compensate, resulting in changes in heart rate.

Drowsiness increases gradually

Looking at the variability of heart rate participants, it is possible to know if they have sleep as the simulation has progressed. The simulation lasted 60 minutes. The first symptoms of drowsiness occurred within 15 minutes of the start of the vibration test. Vertigo was considerable within 30 minutes, requiring considerable effort to remain alert. Drowsiness increased gradually during the simulation and reached its peak after 60 minutes

More research on sleepiness caused by natural vibrations

Fard indicates that more research on a larger scale is needed to show how the vibrations affect sleep. Here, for example, the vulnerability to age vibration can be studied or the effects of health problems such as sleep apnea.

"We also noticed that vibrations can have an adverse effect on certain frequencies and maintain wakefulness. It's also something we want to explore more broadly. This can help design cars that can use these "good vibrations".