(Tel Aviv, Israel – Jan. 9, 2018) Leaving an infant or young child alone inside a locked car—it’s a disturbing mistake that any parent can easily make accidentally at any time, too often with tragic consequences. In the U.S. alone, a child dies from vehicular heatstroke every ten days, most frequently because an adult caregiver forgot there was a child in the back seat. Guardian Optical Technologies helps prevent such heartbreaking accidents with advanced patent-pending technology that enables safer “passenger-aware” cars.

Using just one sensor to monitor the entire car interior, Guardian’s stand-alone automatic system detects the smallest heartbeat and the slightest movement. It’s built from the ground up to work with automotive hardware and software, including all built-in safety systems, such as seatbelts and airbags. Drivers are constantly kept aware of conditions in their cars, allowing them to sidestep dangerous human error. As car makers adopt Guardian’s unparalleled technology, some 37 young lives could be saved each year.

“Guardian is dedicated to protecting drivers and passengers, so incidents where infants and children are left in hot cars are a particularly sensitive area for us, and one we are committed to avoiding,” co-founder and CEO Gil Dotan says. “Tragedies like these are preventable, and we offer breakthrough technology that can help head them off. For example, if an infant is left alone in a hot car, Guardian’s system can potentially initiate a series of immediate alarms, which lead to the air conditioning being turned on, and a call for help being sent out.”

Guardian combines video image recognition (2D), depth mapping (3D), and optical micro- to macro-motion analysis to constantly scan and track occupants and objects anywhere in the vehicle, using low-cost, automotive-grade components—an industry first. The sensor identifies the location and physical dimensions of everyone in the car, distinguishing people from objects. By detecting micro vibrations, the system can register, in some cases, a presence even without a direct line of sight.

The Guardian technology employs machine learning along with its unique optical set-up. Real-time, comprehensive “big data” is collected from the motion analysis and 3D input, and is fused with image analysis of the sensor’s video feed, to provide a complete analysis of a vehicle’s the driver and passengers.

About Guardian Optical Technologies

Guardian Optical Technologies is dedicated to enabling “passenger-aware” cars, with cutting-edge sensor technology that makes cars safer and more convenient. Just one sensor combined with advanced 2D, 3D, and motion analysis protects drivers and passengers by constantly scanning and tracking occupants and objects anywhere in the vehicle. These technologies work with a car’s seatbelts and airbags to sound immediate alerts. The system deploys machine-learning, including image analysis on the sensor’s video feed, as well as “big data” analysis. Committed to providing high value to auto makers today, Guardian Optical Technologies designed its system to effortlessly support future advances in the auto industry, particularly autonomous vehicles. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, the tech start-up was founded in 2014. It has won major accelerator competitions sponsored by EcoMotion and Microsoft, and has several patents pending, with other patent applications in progress. For more information, visit www.guardian-optech.com.