An empirical investigation of measures for well-being in highly automated vehicles

The advent of automated driving shifts user behavior in vehicles and calls for user-centric design. One potential user-centric variable to consider is passenger well-being. In certain experimental designs and industry applications self-report measures may not be the optimal type of measurement and objective measures for well-being could give more nuanced results. This study investigates the relationship between subjective self-ratings and objective measures for well-being in the context of highly automated vehicles. A static driving simulator was used to create different vehicle interiors. Participants' (n=20) responses using self-reports and objective measures (i.e. heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, facial expression, body motion) were collected. The results showed significant correlations of self-reports with heart rate variability and body motion. Both measures were able to discriminate between different stimuli, suggesting that they may be suitable objective measures to act as proxy and complement subjective measures for well-being in highly automated vehicles.