A student from Jackhead First Nation combined modern technology with traditional Indigenous teachings in a science fair project aimed at helping prevent fatigue-related vehicle crashes.
Malachi Traverse represented Manitoba at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton with his project, “Driver Safety Monitoring System,” an affordable drowsiness detection system designed to warn drivers when they are becoming too tired behind the wheel.
The national STEM competition, organized by Youth Science Canada, brought together nearly 400 student finalists from across Canada from May 23 to 30 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre and the University of Alberta.
Traverse, who lives in Jackhead First Nation on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg, said the idea for the project came from the realities of life in remote communities, where long drives are often necessary for basic needs such as groceries, school, work and medical appointments.
“Getting tired isn’t a maybe. It’s a when,” he explained in his project summary.
Traverse said he was inspired to create the system after hearing stories from drivers who nearly fell asleep behind the wheel.
“Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for Indigenous youth under 25,” he said. “Those aren’t just statistics — they’re our brothers and sisters.”
Using Python programming and free software, Traverse built a system that uses a standard webcam to monitor signs of driver fatigue by tracking eye closure and yawning.
The project measures Eye Aspect Ratio (EAR) to detect eye closure and Mouth Aspect Ratio (MAR) to detect yawning. If a driver’s eyes remain closed for five seconds, the system activates a yellow warning light and beep. At 10 seconds, a red alarm is triggered.
“At highway speed, five seconds with eyes closed means you’ve travelled 153 metres blind,” Traverse noted. “That’s longer than a football field.”
His testing showed that a regular webcam can successfully detect when drivers are becoming dangerously fatigued.
“What I learned is that the warning itself is what matters most,” he said. “Drivers don’t need the system to drive for them. They just need a wake-up call before it’s too late.”
A unique aspect of the project is the way Traverse connected modern technology with traditional Indigenous teachings surrounding safe travel.
“Before any long journey, our ancestors prepared with prayer and ceremony,” he explained. “Smudging with sage cleanses the eyes, ears and mouth. It clears the mind and offers protection.”
Traverse said his system was designed to honour those teachings.
“My system honours that — it watches over your eyes so you can see clearly, listens for yawns so you know when you’re tired, and speaks a warning to wake you up,” he said. “Technology and tradition working together.”
He concluded that affordable drowsiness detection technology could help improve safety, especially in remote communities where people regularly travel long distances.
“You don’t need a luxury car,” he said. “A laptop, a webcam and free software can save lives.”
Traverse hopes to continue developing the system by replacing the laptop with a small Raspberry Pi computer, adding infrared cameras for nighttime driving, and incorporating emergency text alerts and voice warnings.
“Every driver who leaves home deserves to come back,” he said. “This system is just the beginning.”
