Workaholistic: on balancing typing- and handover-performance in automated driving

Automated driving eliminates the permanent need for vehicle control and allows to engage in non-driving related tasks. As literature identifies office work as one potential activity, we estimate that advanced input devices will shortly appear in automated vehicles. To address this matter, we mounted a keyboard on the steering wheel, aiming to provide an exemplary safe and productive working environment. In a driving simulator study (n=20), we evaluated two feedback mechanisms (heads-up augmentation on a windshield, conventional heads-down display) and assessed both typing effort and driving performance in handover situations. Results indicate that the windshield alternative positively influences handovers, while heads-down feedback results in better typing performance. Text difficulty (two levels) showed no significant impact on handover time. We conclude that for a widespread acceptance of specialized interfaces for automated vehicles, a balance between safety aspects and productivity must be found in order to attract customers while retaining driving safety.