Francesco Tesauri

Measuring the effects of visual demand on lateral deviation: a comparison among driver's performance indicators.

In this study we compare the efficacy of three drivers performance indicators based on lateral deviation in detecting significant on-road performance degradations while interacting with a secondary task: the High Frequency Component of steering wheel (HFC), and two indicators described in ISO/DIS 26022 (2007): the Normative and the Adapted Lane Change Test (LCT). Sixteen participants were asked to perform a simulated lane-change task while interacting, when required, with a visual search task with two levels of difficulty. According to predictions, results showed that the Adapted LCT indicator, taking into consideration individual practices in performing the LCT, succeeded in discriminating between single and dual task conditions. Furthermore, this indicator was also able to detect whether the driver was interacting with an easy or a difficult secondary task. Despite predictions, results did not confirm Normative LCT and HFC to be reliable indicators of performance degradation within the simulated LCT.

Where Have You Ended Up Today? Dynamic TV and the Inter-tainment Paradigm

Traditional TV was based on a time-dependent and passive paradigm of use: the availability of audiovisual contents was pre-defined by a rigid scheduling, and users role was to choose among limited alternatives. A potential for active TV experience is now available: users should be allowed to access contents that fit their attitudes at any time, while being encouraged to discover new domains of interest. This paper outlines the basic elements of the new Inter-tainment paradigm, which builds on an active role of the user and on attitude-centred fruition. Successful applications of the new paradigm require flexible and reconfigurable structures of navigation: the development stages of an Inter-tainment system are reported here.

The Adaptive Automation Design

During last years Adaptive Automation (AA) has received considerable attention in the academic community, in labs, in technology companies, because of the large use of automation in several domains (e.g. aviation; manufacturing; medicine; road, rail, and maritime transportation). AA is a potential solution to the problems associated with humanautomation interaction, regardless of the complexity of the application domain. The adaptive automation concept was firstly proposed about 30 years ago (Rouse, 1976), but technology has provided the empirical evidence of its effectiveness in more recent times. Several studies have shown that adaptive systems can regulate operator workload and enhance performance while preserving the benefits of automation (Hilburn et al., 1997; Kaber & Endsley, 2004; Moray et al., 2000; Prinzel et al., 2003). Still, inappropriate design of adaptive systems may even bring to a worse performance than full manual systems (Parasuraman et al., 1999). Therefore, methods and skills for designing adaptive automation systems should be fully mastered, before taking the implementation step. Before analyzing the concept and impact of adaptation features, the meaning and definition of automation should be defined, in order to stress how human characteristics and limitations influence the use (or misuse) of automation Andy Clark (2003) successfully tried to summarize the technological relationship between human and automated system: “humans have always been adept at dovetailing our minds and skills to the shape of our current tools and aids. But when those tools and aids start dovetailing back – when our technologies actively, automatically, and continually tailor themselves to us just as we do to them – then the line between tool and human becomes flimsy indeed”. Several researchers tried to define what adaptive automation is, using different and complementary concepts. In order to achieve a complete, if it is possible, definition of adaptive automation, it is needed to analyse the definition and the implication of automation itself. AA aims at optimizing the cooperation and at efficiently allocating labor between an automated system and its human users (Kay, 2006) and it can be considered as an

Context-Dependent Force-Feedback Steering Wheel to Enhance Drivers' On-Road Performances

In this paper the topic of the augmented cognition applied to the driving task, and specifically to the steering maneuver, is discussed. We analyze how the presence of haptic feedback on the steering wheel could help drivers to perform a visually-guided task by providing relevant information like vehicle speed and trajectory. Starting from these considerations, a Context-Dependant Steering Wheel force feedback (CDSW) had been developed, able to provide to the driver the most suitable feeling of the vehicle dynamics according to the driven context. With a driving simulator the CSWD software had been tested twice and then compared with a traditional steering wheel.

Designing a Control and Visualization System for Off-Highway Machinery According to the Adaptive Automation Paradigm

This paper aims at describing the requirements of an off-highway human-machine system able to recognize potential risky situations and consequently prevent them. The developed methodology is based on two techniques derived from the field of human factors studies, namely the Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) and the Function Allocation (FA), which have been integrated and revised to suit the specific domain of off-highway machinery. The paradigms of adaptive automation and persuasive technology will be followed in the design process. After the off-highway domain analysis a system aiming at improving operator and machine safety is presented. The information system extends the human intelligence monitoring the stability of the machine.

Mitigating accident risk in farm tractors

FEATURE AT A GLANCE: The complexity of on-board equipment for farm tractors has grown dramatically in recent years, leading to significant changes in the operators work situation. Today, most tractor functions are performed from inside the cabin, but little progress has been made toward reducing the risks associated with higher workloads. This article describes a methodology for designing a risk mitigation system for reducing rollover accidents. The methodology represents a combination of hierarchical task analysis and function allocation. Its implementation led to a final solution composed of visual and auditory displays and a joystick that gives force feedback in risky situations

Mind the Map: The Role of Shared Awareness in Effective User-Centered Design

This paper is focused on the importance of collaboration during the parallel phases of a design process. A User Centered Design (UCD) chain is usually led jointly by interaction designers and software developers teams. In order to make this chain efficient and effective, both teams must share a common view of the project, allowing to keep parallel processes, aware of each other’s needs and aims. A study is reported here, aimed at pointing out stages and features that can reinforce and improve the effectiveness of groups of designers coming from different backgrounds at work. The objective was to apply UCD in a critical way, in order to give to some concepts a more precise meaning and to increase its power.

Virtual Fixtures for Secondary Tasks

The insertion of data in personal devices (e.g. mobile phones, GPS devices) tends to distract us from the primary task (e.g driving) that we are executing because of the necessity of deviating our visual attention to a secondary task. In this work we have tested the benefits introduced by the haptic feedback as a facility for a very common secondary tasks, namely the insertion of strings in an input device. Experiments demonstrate that the presence of virtual fixtures improves performances during input tasks and decreases the distraction of the user from the primary task.

Design of an adaptive feedback based steering wheel

This paper aims at describing the architectural model of an adaptive force-feedback for a By Wire steering wheel system. This solution uses a steering wheel to replicate the reactive torque law which allows the driver to complete a precise driving scenario or a task with the higher performances. Then, the steering wheel adapts the reactive torque to the driving scenario. Since the design of this system considers the driver performances, it is called Ergonomic Steer-By-Wire. Now a prototype version of the ESBW is connected on a professional driving simulator and several tests are going to be conducted in order to tune the system components. Adapting the force feedback to the driving scenario could be a solution for improving drivers safety and vehicle control.