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"SF is a controlled way to think and dream about the future."
- Gregory Benford

Vehicle Sleep Sensor  
  Better stay awake, the machines know if you're sleeping.  

Carl has been sentenced to servitude, but he has been given one of the rarest things in the future - a job! Helping robot garbagemen identify trash for recycling.

Hours dragged slowly by and still his hopper was empty. The truck rumbled forward and stopped. Forward and stop. The motion lulled him and he was tired. He leaned forward and laid his head gently on the list of varieties of garbage, his eyes closed.

"Sleeping is forbidden while at work. This is warning number one."

The hatefully familiar voice blasted from behind his head and he started with surprise. He hadn't noticed the pickup and speaker next to the door. Even here, riding a garbage truck to eternity, the machine watched him. Bitter anger kept him awake for the duration of the round.

Technovelgy from The Velvet Glove, by Harry Harrison.
Published by Fantastic Universe in 1956
Additional resources -

Compare to the alcohol-sensing system from The Game Players of Titan (1964) by Philip K. Dick.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from The Velvet Glove
  More Ideas and Technology by Harry Harrison
  Tech news articles related to The Velvet Glove
  Tech news articles related to works by Harry Harrison

Vehicle Sleep Sensor-related news articles:
  - Car Seat Prototype Knows When You Are Sleepy
  - Audi Traffic Jam Pilot Knows If You're Sleeping

Articles related to Vehicle
'Robovan' Name Already Taken - Elon, Try These
Tele-Driving Offers Jobs For Tele-Drivers, Not AIs
GM Scraps Cruise Origin Robotaxi With No Steering Wheel
GoSun EV Solar Charger Drapes Onto Your Car

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