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Ergoneers VTK (Vehicle testing kit)

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Total results: 145

Multi-dimensional and objective assessment of motion sickness susceptibility based on machine learning

Year: 2022

Authors: C Li, Z Zhang, Y Liu, T Zhang, X Zhang, H Wang

Background: As human transportation, recreation, and production methods change, the impact of motion sickness (MS) on humans is becoming more prominent. The susceptibility of people to MS can be accurately assessed, which will allow ordinary people to choose comfortable transportation and entertainment and prevent people susceptible to MS from entering provocative environments. This is valuable for maintaining public health and the safety of tasks. Objective: To develop an objective multi-dimensional MS susceptibility assessment model based on physiological indicators that objectively reflect the severity of MS and provide a reference for improving the existing MS susceptibility assessment methods. Methods: MS was induced in 51 participants using the Coriolis acceleration stimulation. Some portable equipment were used to digitize the typical clinical manifestations of MS and explore the correlations between them and Graybiel's diagnostic criteria. Based on significant objective parameters and selected machine learning (ML) algorithms, several MS susceptibility assessment models were developed, and their performances were compared. Results: Gastric electrical activity, facial skin color, skin temperature, and nystagmus are related to the severity of MS. Among the ML assessment models based on these variables, the support vector machine classifier had the best performance with an accuracy of 88.24%, sensitivity of 91.43%, and specificity of 81.25%. Conclusion: The severity of symptoms and signs of MS can be objectively quantified using some indicators. Multi-dimensional and objective assessment models for MS susceptibility based on ML can be successfully established.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

5 versions available

Stereoscopic 3D dashboards: An investigation of performance, workload, and gaze behavior during take-overs in semi-autonomous driving

Year: 2022

Authors: F Weidner,W Broll

When operating a conditionally automated vehicle, humans occasionally have to take over control. If the driver is out of the loop, a certain amount of time is necessary to gain situation awareness. This work evaluates the potential of stereoscopic 3D (S3D) dashboards for presenting smart S3D take-over-requests (TORs) to support situation assessment. In a driving simulator study with a 4 × 2 between-within design, we presented 3 smart TORs showing the current traffic situation and a baseline TOR in 2D and S3D to 52 participants doing the n-back task. We further investigate if non-standard locations affect the results. Take-over performance indicates that participants looked at and processed the TORs’ visual information and by that, could perform more safe take-overs. S3D warnings in general, as well as warnings appearing at the participants’ focus of attention and warnings at the instrument cluster, performed best. We conclude that visual warnings, presented on an S3D dashboard, can be a valid option to support take-over while not increasing workload. We further discuss participants’ gaze behavior in the context of visual warnings for automotive user interfaces.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

8 versions available

The influence of visual-manual distractions on anticipatory driving

Year: 2022

Authors: D He,B Donmez

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate how anticipatory driving is influenced by distraction. Background: The anticipation of future events in traffic can allow potential gains in recognition and response times. Anticipatory actions (i.e., control actions in preparation for potential traffic changes) have been found to be more prevalent among experienced drivers in simulator studies when driving was the sole task. Despite the prevalence of visual-manual distractions and their negative effects on road safety, their influence on anticipatory driving has not yet been investigated beyond hazard anticipation. Methods: A simulator experiment was conducted with 16 experienced and 16 novice drivers. Half of the participants were provided with a self-paced visual-manual secondary task presented on a dashboard display. Results: More anticipatory actions were observed among experienced drivers; experienced drivers also exhibited more efficient visual scanning behaviors as indicated by higher glance rates toward and percent times looking at cues that facilitate the anticipation of upcoming events. Regardless of experience, those with the secondary task displayed reduced anticipatory actions and paid less attention toward anticipatory cues. However, experienced drivers had lower odds of exhibiting long glances toward the secondary task compared to novices. Further, the inclusion of glance duration on anticipatory cues increased the accuracy of a model predicting anticipatory actions based on on-road glance durations. Conclusion: The results provide additional evidence to existing literature supporting the role of driving experience and distraction engagement in anticipatory driving. Application: These findings can guide the design of in-vehicle systems and guide training programs to support anticipatory driving.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

12 versions available

The potential of gamification for user education in partial and conditional driving automation: A driving simulator study

Year: 2022

Authors: S Feinauer, L Schuller, I Groh, L Huestegge

Drivers must establish adequate mental models to ensure safe driver-vehicle interaction in combined partial and conditional driving automation. To achieve this, user education is considered crucial. Since gamification has previously shown positive effects on learning motivation and performance, it could serve as a measure to enhance user education on automated vehicles. We developed a tablet-based instruction involving gamified elements and compared it to instruction without gamification and a control group receiving a user manual. After instruction, participants (N = 57) experienced a 30-minute automated drive on a motorway in a fixed-base driving simulator. Participants who received the gamified instruction reported a higher level of intrinsic motivation to learn the provided content. The results also indicate that gamification promotes mental model formation and trust during the automated drive. Taken together, including gamification in user education for automated driving is a promising approach to enhance safe driver-vehicle interaction.

Simulator
Software

4 versions available

A missing link between fidelity and realism: an experts’ assessment of an advanced motion-based driving simulator

Year: 2021

Authors: M Luzuriaga, S Trunzer

A major concern about advanced motion-based simulators is their level of fidelity i.e., how close the motion sensation in a simulator is to the one perceived in a real vehicle. In this study, we collect the assessment from an exceptional sample composed by n = 33 automotive industry experts who were asked to evaluate the fidelity in terms of steering, braking and speed. Given the subjective nature of our measure, we propose a censored-data Tobit regression model that accounts for this issue, thus providing more accurate estimations. Our results show that, on average, experts evaluated the steering actions close to the maximum level of fidelity. However, braking and speed were evaluated lower in realism, and in fact both diminished the overall fidelity judgement by up to 50%. Moreover, coefficients indicate that steering contributes more to the judgement of fidelity than braking and speed actions. Heterogeneity in the experts' responses and general implications are discussed.

Simulator
Software

7 versions available

Acute hyperglycaemia can impair driving skill in young type 1 diabetes mellitus patients

Year: 2021

Authors: A Haim, RS Shamy,D Ridel,Y Parmet

Drivers with diabetes are at increased risk of being involved in road accidents. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of acute hyperglycaemia (AH) compared with euglycaemia on driving ability in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Eighteen drivers with T1DM were asked to navigate twice through nine hazardous scenarios, using a driving simulator, during euglycaemia and then again during AH (mean blood glucose: 138 ± 34 mg/dL and 321 ± 29 mg/dL, respectively) in a counterbalanced crossover study. Driving performance was continually monitored for driving speed, steering wheel angle, acceleration, and location and velocity of other vehicles and obstacles, with drivers wearing a mobile head-mounted eye-tracking system. The main findings were that, during AH, participants were less likely to identify a hazard [probability of identification (POI): 0.5725 ± 0.5], glanced fewer times at the hazard (3.24 ± 5.9), maintained shorter headway (between-vehicle) distance (mean: 40.87 ± 20.15 m) and had an increased number of braking events per km driven (6.69 ± 5.20) compared with driving during euglycaemia (POI: 0.733 ± 0.4; number of glances: 3.69 ± 6.99; headway distance: 50.46 ± 26.2 m; number of braking events per km driven: 4.31 ± 3.87; P < 0.05 for all parameters). This study provides evidence that AH impairs driving performance in young T1DM patients by demonstrating the negative effects of AH on both hazard perception and speed management.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

5 versions available

Comfort optimization of adaptive cruise control based on heart rate variability and fuzzy control

Year: 2021

Authors: Z Yang, WH Fu, Z Zhang, J Zhang

This paper investigated the impact of braking intensity of self-driving cars at different initial speeds on straight road sections on drivers' comfort, with a view to achieving the comfort optimization of adaptive cruise control (ACC). Specifically, the real vehicle test was conducted in an enclosed venue based on the within-subjects design of 3 × 3 × 2, and the data pertaining to electrocardiogram (ECG) and subjective evaluation of 9 subject drivers in 9 sub tests were collected. Besides, the impacts of different motion states on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were analyzed using the general linear model for repeated measures, and the relationships among drivers' comfort, decelerations, and standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN, an index of HRV) were obtained based on subjective and objective analyses. Additionally, a control strategy based on HRV and fuzzy control was formulated to realize the comfort optimization of ACC in case of an abrupt deceleration of the preceding vehicle, the verifications were performed through joint simulation. The results exhibited that the control strategy based on HRV and fuzzy control could shorten the deceleration time in case of an abrupt deceleration of the preceding vehicle, and may improve the comfort in such scenario.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Software

1 version available:

Driver Scanning Behavior at Urban and Suburban Intersections: An On-Road Approach

Year: 2021

Authors: J Girgis

Urban and suburban intersections present unique challenges for drivers, requiring them to divide their attention between multiple sources of information. This dissertation investigates driver scanning behavior at these intersections using an on-road approach to gather real-world data. The findings suggest significant differences in how drivers scan their environment in urban versus suburban settings, which has implications for the design of intersection safety interventions. By understanding these behaviors, transportation authorities can develop more effective strategies to reduce accidents and enhance road safety. This research provides valuable insights into driver behavior that can inform future transportation planning and policy-making.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

3 versions available

Drivers’ visual characteristics in small-radius optically long tunnels on rural roads

Year: 2021

Authors: S Wang, Z Du, G Chen, H Zheng, Z Tang

This study aims to investigate drivers’ visual characteristics under different radii and turning conditions in small-radius optically long tunnels on rural roads. Fixation and saccade were our main research objectives. We conducted real vehicle tests in optically long tunnels under four different radii. Using the distribution of gaze points, fixation duration, and fixation frequency, the drivers’ fixation characteristics were examined. In addition, the drivers’ saccade characteristics were examined by selecting the saccade duration, saccade frequency, and saccade amplitude. Accordingly, we established mathematical models of fixation duration and saccade duration with a radius under different turning conditions in different zones. Along with the visual task, we further examined drivers’ characteristics in optically long tunnels. We found that the smaller the tunnel radius, the more focused gaze points on inside of the curves, the larger the fixation duration, and the lower the safety with higher psychological pressure. In the zone where the exit portal was invisible, drivers’ tension and risk were higher during turning right, whereas drivers’ tension and risk were higher during turning left in the zone that the exit portal was visible.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

2 versions available

Evaluating the effects of in-vehicle side-view display layout design on physical demands of driving

Year: 2021

Authors: D Beck,J Jung, W Park

Objective: A driving simulator study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the effects of three camera monitor system (CMS) display layouts and the traditional side-view mirror arrangement on the physical demands of driving. Background: Despite the possible benefits of CMS displays in reducing the physical demands of driving, little empirical evidence is available to substantiate these benefits. The effects of CMS display layout designs are not well understood. Method: The three CMS display layouts varied in the locations of the side-view displays: (A) inside the car near the conventional side-view mirrors, (B) on the dashboard at each side of the steering wheel, and (C) on the center fascia with the displays joined side by side. Twenty-two participants performed a safety-critical lane changing task with each design alternative. The dependent measures were the following: spread of eye movement, spread of head movement, and perceived physical demand. Results: Compared with the traditional mirror system, all three CMS display layouts showed a reduction in physical demands, albeit differing in the types/magnitudes of physical demand reduction. Conclusion: Well-designed CMS display layouts could significantly reduce the physical demands of driving. The physical demands were reduced by placing the CMS displays close to the position of the driver’s normal line-of-sight when looking at the road ahead and locating each CMS display on each side of the driver, that is, at locations compatible with the driver’s expectation. Application: Physical demand reductions by CMS displays would especially benefit drivers frequently checking the side-view mirrors with large eye/head movements and physically weak/impaired drivers.

Eye Tracking Glasses
Simulator

9 versions available