Policing your drive

It isn’t just the cops who’d be looking for drunken driving culprits now. The company Cyrrup has come up with a black box facility for cars that tracks and records the driver’s behaviour. Other important features include a breath analyser, where, if the driver is drunk beyond the permitted alcohol level, the sensor detects it and disconnects the ignition, so the driver can’t drive. Also, a panic button is stuck inside the car and pressing it will inform family and close friends about your location.

The brainchild of the app is IIT Guwahati alumnus, Gaurav Kumar, who shifted to Hyderabad three years ago. The two units of the box are placed inside the bonnet and on the dashboard. “The whole thing can be controlled through a single mobile application. The device records any over-speeding or sharp turns taken by the driver and sends it to the owner. Our focus is to ensure the safety and security of the vehicle and its occupants,” says Gaurav. Though Cyrrup is operating since 2014, the vehicle black box has been going through testing stages for a few months now. “The idea struck me when I was driving through Hyderabad roads. My team and I started brainstorming and we came up with this six months back,” he says.

According to Gaurav, if the box and the traffic department collaborate, it will safeguard many lives. “It is practically not possible for the cops to be present everywhere at all times. So if a box is fixed in the car and the mobile application is installed at the main traffic server, then they will get details of every minute,” he says.

If not through the government, Gaurav soon plans to get the device into the commercial market. Gaurav adds, “If anyone wants only few specific features installed, we can do that and accordingly the price will change as well.” Currently, Gaurav is working out all the possibilities before launching it officially and then he will open it for crowdfunding.