Taking on global tech from Logan

"We have found Logan to be the gateway to the other cities, so strategically for us it benefits to have a business and to innovate in Logan. You are basically the center for the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Ipswich." Alf Allman - General Manager, Trakpro

 

Starting from humble beginnings in a small Logan office, Trakpro had a vision to create a vehicle/fleet management system that was easy to use and available for any size business. They were quickly able to reach this goal and have been able to grow from a three-person team into a global company with offices in several countries, and partners across the whole oceanic region. As they grow, so does their technology, which has set them on a new entrepreneurial endeavour to solve a major societal issue which affects all of us at some point. The current problem the Trakpro team are now driving hard to solve is fatigue management and distracted driving, which is a big problem since it is the number one cause of accidents on our roads.

The solution Trakpro has developed taps into advanced facial detection technology they have developed right here in Logan. The innovative Trakpro dual-camera ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance system) system, consists of one camera (looking forward from the windscreen) to detect forward facing collision avoidance and another camera (looking at the driver) for driver face state recognition.

Let's have a quick look at how each camera works:

The Forward Collision Avoidance Camera works to detect any possible threat that is in front of the vehicle that may cause an accident, such as another vehicle or a pedestrian. In addition to detecting the driver's vehicle drifting into other lanes.

The Driver Face State Detection Camera works by detecting early signs of driver fatigue to alert the driver and avoid possible accidents. These early signs of fatigue include prolonged yawning, eyes closing often or closing for longer than normal, driver distraction (not facing the road), mobile phone usage and smoking.

When a possible threat is detected the Trakpro system will make a noise and send an alert to notify the driver, this is designed to make the driver aware of their environment and their own behaviour. If the threat is detected a second time it will send a louder alert, notify the driver, and send a notification to head office of the threat. This notification sent to head office includes visual recording of the threat which can be used for driver performance management and insurance purposes, keeping drivers accountable and safe on our roads.

Alf Allman, the General Manager of Trakpro and local Logan boy himself, admits that despite making huge inroads with this new technology and partnering with large global companies, they still have a long road ahead. Alf also has some advice for anyone else who aspires to innovate in Logan like he has been able to successfully do. "Be a part of a network, ask the questions, go to interest groups, ask for advice. Be part of the Innov8 community."

Stay up to date with the latest news and events by subscribing to INNOV8 Logan fortnightly news, here: https://innov8logan.com.au/get-involved/

Join us at monthly Meetups onsite at an innovative Logan Entrepreneur's venue: https://www.meetup.com/INNOV8-Logan