Toward trustworthy haptic assistance system for emergency avoidance of collision with a pedestrian

This paper proposes a haptic assistance system that provides momentary steering wheel torque to help the driver choose the steering direction for avoiding collision with a pedestrian. The results of an experiment with a driving simulator showed that reaction time was reduced significantly when using haptic assistance and that the system was effective in enhancing appropriate selection of a steering direction in many cases. However, there were cases in which the drivers' choice was opposite to the system's proposal. In order for the system to be acceptable to drivers, the drivers' natural choice of direction should be taken into account.