Tesla Launches ‘Driver Drowsiness Warning’ That Catches Your Yawns

While the premise of autonomous vehicles may seem to be doing away with drivers, in reality, the individual behind the wheel has to remain alert and ready to take control of the car at any time.

As such, Tesla is introducing the Driver Drowsiness Warning—a new feature utilizing the cabin-facing camera to keep an eye on the driver. The tool will identify expressions of fatigue, including keeping track of one’s yawns and blinks.

According to Engadget, this function was first revealed in May when a Tesla hacker, commonly dubbed ‘Green’, spotted clues pointing to the development in the company’s software.

The Driver Drowsiness Warning will monitor both facial expressions and driving behavior. If it deems a driver isn’t alert at the wheel, a notification will appear on the car’s touchscreen while an internal alarm will begin to ring.

However, it appears the system will only be activated if the vehicle is traveling at over 40 mph and Autopilot is not in use. Of course, Tesla reminds drivers it is still their “responsibility” to remain focused on the road at all times.

“If you see this alert, you may consider stopping and resting before continuing. The alert clears once patterns of drowsiness have been removed,” described the automaker.

[via Engadget and Electrek, cover image via Jörg Hüttenhölscher | Dreamstime.com]