Roy J. Mathieu

A Wearable Vibrotactile Display for Automotive Route Guidance: Evaluating Usability, Workload, Performance and Preference

Automotive navigation systems typically provide distance and directional information of an ensuing maneuver by means of visual indicators and audible instructions. These systems, however, use the same human perception channels that are required to perform the primary task of driving, and may consequently increase cognitive workload. A vibrotactile display was designed as an alternative to voice instruction and implemented in a consumer wearable device (smart-glasses). Using a driving simulator, the prototype system was compared to conventional navigation systems by assessing usability, workload, performance and preference. Results indicated that the use of haptic feedback in smart-glasses can improve secondary task performance over the conventional visual/auditory navigation system. Additionally, users preferred the haptic system over the other conventional systems. This study indicates that existing technologies found in consumer wearable devices may be leveraged to enhance the user-interface of vehicle navigation systems.