Elements of Discomfort in Vehicles

Abstract

One of the main concerns of automobile manufacturers is the optimization of cars conceiving. For this reason the integration of clients' perceptions in the manufacturing process is an important aspect of product development. This paper aims to study the perception of young drivers over the elements of discomfort that occur while driving a vehicle. 40 subjects, young drivers (technical university students) participated in the study and were investigated in connection with the main elements of discomfort experienced in the car. Valuation of discomfort was based on descriptions of study participants, descriptions in which they were asked to specify what they perceive as discomfort in the car. On one hand, the results show us a representation of what does discomfort for young drivers mean, and on the other hand, it shows the important role that the thermal factor has in assessing comfort / discomfort in the vehicle.

Improving Passenger Experience and Trust in Automated Vehicles Through User-Adaptive HMIs: “The More the Better” Does Not Apply to Everyone

“…The identification of perceived safety as a major predictor of the acceptance of driving automation (Xu et al, 2018;Zoellick et al, 2019) clarifies that passengers need to experience automated vehicles as a safe form of mobility and for this purpose have to be able to understand their driving behavior. Both issues are considered necessary to feel comfortable during automated driving, which can be defined as feeling pleasantly relaxed based on the certainty that the vehicle is executing the driving task safely (Constantin et al, 2014). Conversely, if passengers are uncertain about the safety of the vehicle operations, this might result in an unpleasant state of tension defined as discomfort (Hartwich et al, 2018).…”

Using Smartbands, Pupillometry and Body Motion to Detect Discomfort in Automated Driving

“…There is no agreed-upon definition for comfort in the scientific community (Hartwich et al, 2018 ); however, existing comfort definitions share some central assumptions: comfort (a) is a subjective construct and, therefore, differs between individuals; (b) is affected by physical, physiological, and psychological factors; and (c) results from interaction with the environment (de Looze et al, 2003 ). Thus, comfort is hereby understood as a subjective, pleasant state of relaxation expressed through confidence and apparently safe vehicle operation (Constantin et al, 2014 ), “which is achieved by the removal or absence of uneasiness and distress” (Bellem et al, 2016 , p. 45).…”

The Discomfort of Riding Shotgun – Why Many People Don’t Like to Be Co-driver

“…The feedback-loop model by Carver and Scheier (2002) One study identified driving tasks like distance keeping during high traffic density as relevant (de Vos et al, 1997). The study by Constantin et al (2014) investigated various elements in a vehicle causing discomfort for younger drivers and mapped it to the two dimensions of psychological and physiological discomfort: The seat, the space in the car, and the air condition were mentioned most often for the physical dimension. In the psychological dimension, especially a malfunction of safety relevant elements (e.g., headlights, brakes, or horn) caused discomfort.…”