How BlyncSync Proactively Prevents Driving Fatigue, Distractions & Accidents - CEO Steven Kastelic

Smart devices can prevent accidents by monitoring drivers. Steven Kastelic, Founder, President, and CEO of BlyncSync Technologies explains how his company can help deal with drowsy and distracted driving with smart glasses and other wearable devices in the future.

Kastelic was inspired to form the company when his father's cousin, a semi-truck driver, told him how often he saw drivers swerving into the opposing lane while driving. The cousin also narrowly avoided falling asleep on the road.

"We researched it. The leading cause of accidents is fatigue and distraction. That is where we started with the idea," says Kastelic.

He and his co-founders looked at cameras at first. But when they asked potential customers, a hundred drivers, fleet managers, safety managers and experts in the industry about cameras, they learned that the cameras were not very accurate.

The drivers do not like the cameras because they feel like it is a breach of privacy. They feel like they are being surveilled. It is like having a camera in their bedroom. Especially women drivers do not feel comfortable because they change clothes in the cabin. Drivers will often throw a sweatshirt over the camera to block it out, Kastelic says

With smart glasses, not only are the sensors more accurate, but there are also no cameras involved. The sensors are just on the nose pieces.

To the drivers, it is just data on a spreadsheet protecting privacy. And the nose piece sensors are the most accurate way to detect fatigue available on the market, he says.

How Does BlyncSync Work?

The sensors sense muscle movements and posture. BlyncSync processes the data from the sensors and provides the drivers with their fatigue level that they can use before and after they drive.

Drivers learn when they can expect to feel fatigued and the times of day when they are most likely to get in an accident. They learn when the best times to pull over and rest to reduce the risk of accidents proactively. The sensors can also detect if the driver is not paying attention or not looking at the road.

"We can tell how far their gaze deviates from the centre that is weighed into our algorithm in order to detect fatigue and distraction," explains Kastelic.

The driver is monitored through the BlyncSync smartphone app. Depending on how the phone notifications are configured and connected, the audio notifications can be heard through Bluetooth in the vehicle, a headset or the phone itself.

"When using BlyncSync while wearing the glasses while driving and you reach low energy, - a notification comes through on your phone. And you will hear it the way of any other notification. The notification is almost instantaneous," says Kastelic.

The information is faster than with monitoring systems with remote operators or systems where the fleet operator has to look at email and video before calling the driver which can take several minutes, he says

"We took a proactive approach where before the drive even begins, the driver already understands the best times to drive and rest. Trucking companies incorporate that data into their training for new drivers to get that heightened awareness early on and continue those mindsets throughout their careers."

What do Drivers and Managers Like about BlyncSync?

What the drivers like about BlyncSync is that it is seamless. A lot of drivers are already used to wearing sunglasses, or maybe they wear prescription glasses. It is easy to upgrade the glasses at an optical shop.

"Drivers get a heightened awareness of their fatigue level, and they become safer drivers," says Kastelic.

During beta testing, there was an average 24% reduction in unsafe driving behaviours such as swerving, hard braking, speeding, fast acceleration, lane change without a turn signal and other factors, he says.

The managers like that BlyncSync is seamless. They are able to learn from all of their drivers in one portal, where they can improve their operations. They use those learning points and incorporate that into their training.

What is the Future of BlyncSync?

The company will be working with the Air Force, which tracks pilot biometrics and human behaviours. They are constantly studying the pilot performance to optimize training, says Kastelic.

"BlyncSync can also eventually apply to deployment scenarios to give commanders notifications about soldiers' readiness levels to help with deployment decisions." 

BlyncSync works with 'off-the-shelf' hardware that's readily available. The company is expanding the BlyncSync app to other wearable devices such as the Garmin smartwatch, Whoop fitness band and smart rings.

"BlyncSync will be the leading platform to host any available 'off-the-shelf' device. As new wearables become available on the market, BlyncSync will host them all onto one app for a bigger overview from multiple sources of data for a more enhanced experience out of wearable devices for a wide range of markets," he concludes.