I guess I'm a sucker for EEG related technology (see all my HCI posts). So when I run across an article like A baseball cap that reads your mind I can't help but comment on it.
Unlike other "mind reading" systems that make unrealistic claims, I can see this research and wireless technology leading to something quite useful. The ability to discern closed eyes and drowsiness by the presence of alpha waves (8-12 Hz) in human EEG is well known.
Developing an affordable product that provides a timely audible alert to a driver that's about to fall asleep could have a huge impact. From (beware, this is a PowerPoint presentation) Fatigue and Automobile Accident Risk:
The US Department of Transportation estimates that 100,000 accidents reported are due to drowsiness and/or fatigue. These crashes result in 1550 deaths annually (4% of traffic fatalities) and $12.5 billion in monetary losses.
Even the annoyance of false alerts would be worth the lives saved. And of course it's convenient that a lot of truck drivers already wear baseball caps.
