Physical and Cognitive Driver Reactions Characterization in Response to Active Safety Systems: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are technologies that automate, facilitate, and improve the vehicle’s systems. Indeed, these systems directly interfere with braking, acceleration, and drivability of driving operations. Thus, the use of ADAS directly reflects the psychology behind driving a vehicle, which can have an automation level that varies from fully manual (Level 0) to fully autonomous (Level 5). Even though ADAS technologies provide safer driving, it is still a challenge to understand the complexity of human factors that influence and interact with these new technologies. Also, there has been limited exploration of the correlation between the physical and cognitive driver reactions and the characteristics of Brazilian roads and traffic. Therefore, the present work sought to establish a preliminary investigation into a method for evaluating the driving response profile under the influence of ADAS technologies, such as Lane Centering and Forward Collision Warning, on roads in the Distrito Federal (DF) related to vehicle automation levels’ 1’ and ‘2’. Participants performed an experimental program to validate the drivers’ instrumentation, which consists of several sensors to measure different physiological signals, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyography (EMG), Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), and respiration monitor. The results showed that the ECG sensor did not work linearly for all participants even in the same situation. However, the data acquisition from the sensor seems satisfactory. Although participants use the sensors that will be applied in real-world driving, all experiments were conducted in a laboratory setting, so it is necessary to evaluate the data acquisition during a driving scenario.</div></div>