Special biometric vests normally used by elite athletes have been earmarked for a Griffith University study to monitor how fatigue can impact the driving behaviour of truckers. The School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Dr Caroline Robertson noted that the project has received nearly AU$ 200,000 in federal government funding to conduct a research trial.
She said that, thus far, 40 drivers from two companies are wearing the Hexoskin biometric vests for a total of six days – five of those are while driving and one of those is a day off. The vests will measure heart rate and breathing responses giving us an indication of how stressed or tired they are.
The researchers then overlay this data with other psychological and in-vehicle data, to form a picture of what is happening when a driver is fatigued. In-vehicle data will look at markers such as lane positioning, distance from other vehicles and steering wheel angle.
The research is the first to tackle psychological, physiological and in-vehicle data monitoring predictors of fatigue in professional drivers. Griffith University identified a need to research all three factors simultaneously as they all independently contribute to fatigue behind the wheel.
After the data has been compiled and analysed it will be used to inform companies about which factors contribute most to fatigue. The aim is for people to be informed and know what to look for before they even get behind the wheel of a truck so potentially fatal incidents can be prevented.
The global biometric system market is expected to grow from US$ 42.9 billion in 2022 to US$ 82.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 14.1%. Growing advancements in biometric technology across various sectors as well as the increasing demand for authentication and identification solutions as well as security and surveillance solutions in various application areas are the primary factors driving the market growth. Moreover, the growing adoption of biometric systems in consumer electronics, BFSI as well as automotive verticals will drive the demand for this technology soon.
The government vertical secured the largest share of the biometric system market in 2021, and this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. Biometrics helps in dismissing corruption through various government-deployed projects for large-scale identification, such as biometric civil IDs.
Biometric identification enables governments to offer subsidies, rebates, and incentives that include rations and others to eligible citizens while avoiding any possible loopholes in the system. Government agencies can also use biometric solutions to verify individuality across international boundaries. In some countries, it is mandatory for visa aspirants to provide biometric samples that are searched in criminal records and immigration databases for refraining the offenders to enter their geographies.
The market in APAC will grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The biometric system market in APAC is segmented into China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea, and the Rest of APAC. The presence of prominent biometric system manufacturers is expected to contribute to the revenue share of this region owing to the rapid economic growth in major countries such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea.
Moreover, the growth of the biometric system market in APAC may also have its origins in technological advancements, increased awareness among the masses regarding the use of biometric systems for security purposes and lowered cost of devices based on these technologies.