A device developed to stop drivers falling asleep at the wheels

German scientists have invented a device designed to prevent motorists from falling asleep at the wheel which could save 300,000 lives a year around the world.

The system devised at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology involves minuscule cameras that monitor eye movements, which trigger an alarm when drivers seem about to nod off.

Cameras are set up to follow the line of vision even when the driver's head moves left or right.

Utilising up to six dashboard-mounted cameras with compact 3 to 4 millimetre lenses, the system processes up to 200 images per second to detect sleepiness using parameters like line of vision and eyelid position, irrespective of the position of the driver's head.