Get ready for automated driving using Virtual Reality

Abstract

In conditionally automated vehicles, drivers can engage in secondary activities while traveling to their destination. However, drivers are required to appropriately respond, in a limited amount of time, to a take-over request when the system reaches its functional boundaries. Interacting with the car in the proper way from the first ride is crucial for car and road safety in general. For this reason, it is necessary to train drivers in a risk-free environment by providing them the best practice to use these complex systems. In this context, Virtual Reality (VR) systems represent a promising training and learning tool to properly familiarize drivers with the automated vehicle and allow them to interact with the novel equipment involved. In addition, Head-Mounted Display (HMD)-based VR (light VR) would allow for the easy deployment of such training systems in driving schools or car dealerships. In this study, the effectiveness of a light Virtual Reality training program for acquiring interaction skills in automated cars was investigated. The effectiveness of this training was compared to a user manual and a fixed-base simulator with respect to both objective and self-reported measures. Sixty subjects were randomly assigned to one of the systems in which they went through a training phase followed by a test drive in a high-end driving simulator. Results show that the training system affects the take-over performances. Moreover, self-reported measures indicate that the light VR training is preferred with respect to the other systems. Finally, another important outcome of this research is the evidence that VR plays a strategic role in the definition of the set of metrics for profiling proper driver interaction with the automated vehicle.

On-Road Evaluation of Autonomous Driving Training

“…Taking into account also the age groups, it can be observed that while for the first two age groups the reaction time was comparable among all the training systems, older participants trained with the Video tutorial reacted slower than the others; the group trained with Augmented Reality, instead, was the fastest inside the age group and reacted in a time comparable to younger groups. The outcomes of this study about take over time are in line with related work in the field in which it is proven that subjects who execute a take over during the training performed better in the test drive [12], [13]. It has to be said that the participants were not obliged, only invited, to perform a secondary task: this might not guarantee the same level of distraction for all the subjects at the moment of the TOR.…”

“…Payre et al [11] analyzed the effectiveness of a training based on simple practice in the simulator with respect to a more elaborated training which included a text, a video and a more complex practice in the simulator. Sportillo et al [12] compared three different training supports: a user manual displayed on a laptop, a fixedbase driving simulator and a Light Virtual Reality system. Four different familiarization groups (no familiarization, description, experience, description and experience) were instead compared in a driving simulator study by Hergeth et al [13].…”

Why People Adopt Vr English Language Learning Systems: An Extended Perspective Of Task-Technology Fit

“…Since VR is an emerging technology application [2][5] [6], for users, the application of VR to education is not only task-oriented but also entertainmentoriented [3][4]. The study found that users' utilitarian and hedonic needs have a direct positive impact on their perceived needs-technology fit.…”

“…Service compatibility emphasizes the fitness of services provided by IT with the needs of users [15] [29]. The integration of VR technology into teaching not only improves the limitations of conventional learning methods, but also enhances learning content training and message transmission through the interaction and immersive nature of VR [6]. In other words, when users perceive they can engage in real-world learning situations through the VR service and interact with the characters in the situation, as they used to have in the conventional teaching mode, to meet their perceptual needs, their feeling of technology and satisfaction can be enhanced, which in turn will affect their usage behavior.…”

“…In the teaching context, VR can be used to design various practical situations [5] [6] and provide a sense of presence, fun, immersion, exploration, dynamic interaction, and instant visual feedback [3] [4]. In addition, learners can explore more and teaching can be differentiated so as to create a student-centered learning environment [3] [4].…”