Method for the evaluation of distraction effects of head-up displays in vehicles using the example of smart glasses

In the presented driving simulator study, we propose a new test protocol for the assessment of the distraction potential of head-up display (HUD) technologies in the driving context. The method combines driving-related measures with the visual detection response task (DRT) as common evaluation protocols using eye glance measurement are no longer valid. The protocol was applied comparing several use cases in two conditions: a head-down display (HDD) and a head-mounted HUD using smart glasses. The results revealed that in relation to a reference task (manual radio tuning), the smart glasses did not impair either driving performance or visual workload significantly. Additionally, they led to lower visual workload than the HDD when reading text messages, but not when performing simpler tasks. The study points towards a positive effect on the distraction potential of visual-manual tasks with head-mounted HUDs and includes a first proposal for a standardised distraction assessment for these technologies.