Impairment detection system and method

Abstract

A method, computer program product, and computing system for rendering a plurality of objects for use within an alertness test being administered to a user. A disrupter configured to distract the user is rendered. A response is solicited from the user concerning the plurality of objects. The response is received from the user. A result is determined for the user based, at least in part, upon the response received from the user.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 351,665, filed on 17 Jun. 2016, entitled “Impairment Detection Systems and Methods”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]This disclosure relates to detection systems and, more particularly, to impairment detection systems.BACKGROUND[0003]Accidents in the workplace cost many millions of dollars, hundreds of lives, and damage to the environment every year, wherein the majority of these accidents are caused by human error. As is known, human error has many causes; one of which is impairment (e.g., due to lack of sleep, illness and / or the influence of drugs / alcohol).[0004]In an effort to reduce accidents in the United States, 7.5 million workers in high-risk occupations are required to take random blood and / or urine tests to deter the use of drugs and / or alcohol on the job. However, fatigue, illness and stress are more common causes of impairmen...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a computer-implemented method, computer program product, and computing system that can be used for testing a user's alertness. The method involves showing a set of objects for the user to respond to and giving them a temporary visual, auditory, or physical distraction through a disrupter. The disrupter can be designed to obstruct one or more of the objects or create a delay between when they are shown to the user and when they can be responded to. The results of the user's response are then used to determine their level of alertness. This technology can provide a more accurate and efficient tool for evaluating a person's mindset and can be used in various applications such as driving safety testing.

Problems solved by technology

Accidents in the workplace cost many millions of dollars, hundreds of lives, and damage to the environment every year, wherein the majority of these accidents are caused by human error.

As is known, human error has many causes; one of which is impairment (e.g., due to lack of sleep, illness and / or the influence of drugs / alcohol).

However, fatigue, illness and stress are more common causes of impairment than are the effects of drugs or alcohol.

Accordingly, accidents continue to occur in large part because workers are impaired by e.g., exhaustion, stress, side-effects from prescription medications or from a combination of these factors.

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