Novel Automotive Lamp Configurations: Computer-Based Assessment of Perceptual Efficiency

Perceptual studies on pedestrians and bicyclists have shown that highlighting the most informative features of the road user increases visibility in real-life traffic scenarios. As technological limitations on automotive lamp configurations are decreasing, prototypes display novel layouts driven by aesthetic design. Could these advances also be used to aid perceptual processes? We tested this question in a computer-based visual search experiment. 3D rendered images of the frontal view of a motorbike and of a car with regular (REG) or contour enhancing (CON) headlamp configurations were compiled into scenes, simulating the crowding effect in night-time traffic. Perceptual performance in finding a target motorbike (present in 2/3 of all trials) among 28 cars of either condition was quantified through discriminability, reaction time, and eye movement measures. All measures showed a significant perceptual advantage in CON vs REG trials. Results suggest that facilitating object perception in traffic by highlighting relevant features of vehicles could increase visual performance in both speed and discriminability. Furthermore, the associated gain in eye movement efficiency may decrease fatigue. Similar methods, with varying trade-off ratios between fidelity and low-level control, could be applied to design the most ideal lamp configuration for traffic safety.