Designing and Evaluating Meaningful Tactile Displays to Assist Takeover in Automated Vehicles

Semi-autonomous vehicles occasionally require drivers to take over control of the vehicle when systems reach their limitations. Therefore, a reliable human-machine interface may be necessary to help drivers during the sudden and complex takeover process. The goal of this study is to design and evaluate six meaningful tactile signal types, representing the six most commonly used driving scenarios in previous research, and two pattern durations, on drivers’ perception and performance during automated driving. A human-subject experiment using a medium-fidelity driving simulator was designed, with 20 tactors embedded in/on the seat back, pan, and belt to convey meaningful vibrotactile signals. Dependent measures include reaction times, interpretation accuracy, and subjective ratings. The findings of this study will inform the design of next-generation in-vehicle human-machine interfaces.