Our in-cab fatigue cameras are there to help keep you safe. They use AI to monitor eye closure and where you’re looking, so they can detect drowsiness and distraction early. Here’s how Sunglasses and Fatigue Cameras need to work.
For that to work properly, the camera needs a clear view of your eyes. The type of sunglasses you wear makes a big difference.
How the fatigue camera works
- Runs 24/7 – in daylight, low light and at night.
- Uses infrared illumination so it can still “see” your face in the dark.
- Looks for eye closure (blinks, micro-sleeps) and gaze direction (looking away from the road).
If it can’t see your eyes, it can’t reliably detect fatigue. In those cases, the system will not trigger eye-based fatigue alerts – that’s by design, to avoid guessing or creating false alarms.
Sunglasses that work well
SafeWork NSW recommends close-fitting wraparound sunglasses that comply with AS/NZS 1067 and are suitable for driving.
From the camera’s point of view, we add one simple requirement:
Your eyes still need to be clearly visible through the lenses.
In practice, the best options are:
- Light–medium tint (not super dark)
- Non-mirrored lenses
- Grey or brown lenses
- Wraparound style to cut glare and dust, while still letting the camera see your eyes
Examples of suitable styles (where the eyes are clearly visible):
Suggestion:
Shark Bait “Spinner” polarised sunglasses (wraparound, Category 3, AS/NZS 1067 compliant):
Sunglasses that don’t work
The camera struggles when lenses are:
- Very dark, and/or
- Mirrored or highly reflective
In these cases the eyes are effectively “blocked”, so the system can’t detect eye closure or gaze direction. That means fatigue and distraction events may not be picked up as expected.
Examples of styles that are unlikely to work:
If your sunnies look like these and your eyes disappear completely, they’re too dark or reflective for reliable fatigue detection.
Examples of styles that are unlikely to work:
If your sunnies look like these and your eyes disappear completely, they’re too dark or reflective for reliable fatigue detection.
The quick mirror test
A simple rule of thumb for drivers:
If you can clearly see your own pupils in a mirror while wearing the sunglasses, the camera will usually be able to see them too.
If you can’t see your pupils at all, the camera probably can’t either.
Still unsure?
If you’re not sure whether a pair of sunglasses will work with the system, check them against the examples above or ask your supervisor.
Check out our knowledge base article here as well.
