Listen to Your Drive: An In-vehicle Sonification System based on Driver Affective States and Driving Data

Auditory displays have widely been used in vehicle contexts because they do not require drivers' visual attention. Examples include collision warning systems, parking assistance systems, and personal navigation devices to name a few. To explore the full potential of sonification applications in the automotive context, we have developed an in-vehicle sonification system [1]. Our system aims to integrate driving performance data from the vehicle and driver affective state data from physiological sensors in real-time. Those data can be mapped to auditory parameters and generate various sonification pieces. This sonification can be used to provide feedback about how drivers are driving, guidance on how they are supposed to drive, or situation awareness about the traffic environment. As an early prototype, the present work demonstrates driving data sonification using the MiniSim simulator. We hope this sonification work can enhance driver experience as well as road safety in both manual and automated vehicles.