Alertness and speed control systems and automatic pilots (including KVB and TVM)

Vigilance systems are designed to ensure that the driver remains attentive in general, and to the indications provided by signalling in particular. The first devices appeared as early as the 19th century, but it took a century for fully-fledged "KV" speed control systems (ATP, Automatic Train Protection) to provide truly effective train control. As for automatic train operation (ATO) systems, while they are ubiquitous on metros, their application on main lines is still marginal, even if the trend towards their adoption is clearly there.