Health

Engineers designing earbuds to warn drivers when they're drowsy

By Mallika Marshall, MD

August 7, 2024 / 5:47 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - Researchers have created earbuds that can warn drivers when they are drowsy.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, drowsy driving contributes to hundreds of motor vehicle deaths a year, and operating heavy machinery while groggy, say, in construction or mining, is also dangerous.

Originally inspired by Apple AirPods, engineers at UC Berkeley developed prototype earbuds with built-in electrodes that when in contact with the ear canal can detect alpha brain waves associated with closing your eyes or starting to fall asleep.

They continue to refine their device but hope that one day these special earpieces can be used to protect people from fatigue-related accidents and death.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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