Enhancing drivers' situation awareness in semi-autonomous vehicles : The use of alerts in preparation for handovers
Malik, Hasnat (2020)
2020
Master's Programme in Human-Technology Interaction
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2020-12-28
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202012168912
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202012168912
Tiivistelmä
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have progressed considerably over recent years. However, before AVs are adopted and accepted on a large scale, various challenges need to be addressed. Some of the most pressing concerns are related to the transition period taking place from the Automated Driving System (ADS) to the driver in semi-autonomous vehicles (SAE Levels 3 and 4). The research focuses on the core components contributing to the transition period that consist of situation awareness (SA), take-over request (TOR), and handovers.
The objective of the study is to investigate the collective impact of SA and perceived trust in automation on handovers while manipulating the SA alert. The similar use of auditory SA alert in enhancing the drivers’ situation awareness by providing information about the changing driving conditions has not been previously studied. The multimodal TOR was presented to help the participants to acquire situation awareness and prepare for the handover.
The study relied on experimental research that was conducted in a fixed-base driving simulator. The simulator mimicked the driving behavior of a Level 3 conditional automation vehicle. 14 participants took part in the study. The data used in this research comprises logged driving task data, a self-report perceived trust measurement questionnaire, and interview data. Both quantitative and qualitative data were utilized. The quantitative data from the self-report questionnaire was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and the qualitative interview data was analyzed using grounded theory.
The findings indicate that the use of both the SA alert and the TOR were effective. However, the quantitative data found that the SA alert did not elicit higher perceived trust compared to the driving tasks in which it was not presented. Nevertheless, the qualitative data suggest that the participants found the SA alert to be useful, as it enhanced their situation awareness and made them feel safe. Furthermore, the TOR was found to be necessary for informing the participants about the handover.
The results achieved in the study have an implication on the use of alerts for enhancing the driver’s situation awareness in semi-autonomous vehicles. However, further research is needed to learn more about their utility in various driving situations.
The objective of the study is to investigate the collective impact of SA and perceived trust in automation on handovers while manipulating the SA alert. The similar use of auditory SA alert in enhancing the drivers’ situation awareness by providing information about the changing driving conditions has not been previously studied. The multimodal TOR was presented to help the participants to acquire situation awareness and prepare for the handover.
The study relied on experimental research that was conducted in a fixed-base driving simulator. The simulator mimicked the driving behavior of a Level 3 conditional automation vehicle. 14 participants took part in the study. The data used in this research comprises logged driving task data, a self-report perceived trust measurement questionnaire, and interview data. Both quantitative and qualitative data were utilized. The quantitative data from the self-report questionnaire was analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and the qualitative interview data was analyzed using grounded theory.
The findings indicate that the use of both the SA alert and the TOR were effective. However, the quantitative data found that the SA alert did not elicit higher perceived trust compared to the driving tasks in which it was not presented. Nevertheless, the qualitative data suggest that the participants found the SA alert to be useful, as it enhanced their situation awareness and made them feel safe. Furthermore, the TOR was found to be necessary for informing the participants about the handover.
The results achieved in the study have an implication on the use of alerts for enhancing the driver’s situation awareness in semi-autonomous vehicles. However, further research is needed to learn more about their utility in various driving situations.