glum writes:
Sure. Our concern with something that simple is the possibility of a passenger trying to over-ride it...
We have a guy working on the IVHM system who will devise the method for determining pilot incapacitation.
Having seen some of the guys near the end of a ten hour red eye, I wish him luck on working out who's alive and who's not!
This is similar to detecting drunk drivers and preventing them from starting the car. (Breathalyzers don't work 100% - think pre-bar balloon of breath)
A hypoxic pilot could in theory respond to a very simple challenge:
I .. must .... push ..... button .......... silence ............... damm "pilot gone" alarm.
There is a lot of research on the problem, one of the simpler method is one I implemented in college (way back when) for a project car:
Computer displays a random 4 digit number for 1 second, example 4125 then blanks display, wait 1 second then prompts driver.
Driver has 2 seconds to key in the number in reverse : 5214.
Very easy to do when sober - not so when over the limit.
Unless in on the secret highly unlikely a passenger would gues what to do.
(The testing was the best part of project... times are from memory and may be off a bit)