729 research outputs found
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Validation of Driving Simulation to Assess On-Road Performance in Huntington Disease
No full textDriving simulators are increasingly used to assess the driving capabilities of persons with neurodegenerative conditions. However, few driving simulator evaluations have been validated against standardized on-road tests. The aim of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of a comprehensive driving simulator evaluation in 29 persons with Huntington disease (HD). The Test Ride for Investigating Practical fitness to drive (TRIP) checklist was administered after a 15 km simulator drive and 20 km on-road drive. The total driving simulator TRIP score and each of its item scores were compared with the on-road TRIP scores using Spearman rho correlation statistics. We found significant correlations for 9 of the 12 items. Correlations ranged between 0.12 for the item gap distance at speed below 50 km/h and 0.72 for the total TRIP score, indicating variable strength of the associations. Items assessing operational skills correlated better with on-road driving performance than tactical or higher-order visual items. The results indicate that a fixed-base, single screen driving simulator is a valid tool to assess on-road driving capabilities in persons with HD
Video Test to Evaluate Detection Performance of Drivers with Hemianopia: Preliminary Results
No full textThe ability of individuals with hemianopia to compensate for their vision impairment by eye/head scanning to detect hazards in their non-seeing (blind) hemifield varies widely in both simulator and on-road tests. Conventional visual fields tests do not reflect this variability, while simulator and on-road tests are time-consuming and expensive. We therefore developed a simple, 15-minute video-based pedestrian detection test suitable for implementation on a desktop computer and monitor. The test was found to be sensitive to detection deficits in both hemianopia and quadranopia, and predictive of detection performance in a driving simulator. Our preliminary findings suggest that the test provides a simple method of measuring detection ability relevant to driving which may be useful both as a screening test and as an evaluation tool for rehabilitation devices and training
Detection Response Tasks: Using Remote, Headmounted and Tactile Signals to Assess Cognitive Demand While Driving
No full textThree versions of the Detection Response Task (DRT) were evaluated and compared as methods to assess cognitive demand while driving. Participants performed tasks known to manipulate cognitive demand (N_Back tasks) and realworld cognitive demand tasks using the iPhone interface, Siri, while driving a simulator. The Remote DRT, the Head Mounted DRT and the Tactile DRT were all sensitive to task demands but advantages were found to using the newer versions for the assessment of cognitive distraction. This work is part of an international collaborative research effort to standardize the DRT (ISO WD17488)
Cocktail Party Effect& Attention Capture in Semi-Autonomous Driving
No full textA personal name has proven to be an effective stimulus to capture attention. The goal of this pilot study is to test if a personal name can be used as an effective audio warning for drivers of semi-autonomous vehicles. Participants drove a driving simulator in both manual and semiautonomous driving conditions while doing a secondary task. An emergency situation was simulated, and participants were presented with a warning tone or his/her personal name. Reaction times for braking, steering, and eye disengagement were recorded. There was no significant main effect for cue type, a marginally significant interaction effect across driving condition and cue type, and a significant main effect for driving condition. These results suggest that engagement in a secondary task while driving semi-autonomously causes diverted driver attention to be at its highest. Importantly, however, the use of one’s personal name shows promise in capturing attention back to the driving task and warrants deeper investigation for future research
Comparison of Driver Distraction Evaluations across Two Simulator Platforms and an Instrumented Vehicle
No full textThe purpose of this work was to assess the cross-platform validity of two driving simulators and an instrumented vehicle operated on a closed driving course. Characteristics of vehicle speed and performance to an Alert Response Task were evaluated using a MiniSim, manufactured by the National Advanced Driving Simulator group, a Realtime Technologies, Inc. desktop simulator, and an instrumented 2005 Toyota Highlander. Results indicate a high degree of relative validity between the three research platforms with mean and standard deviation of vehicle speeds showing near identical patterns under various secondary task demands. Performance on an auditory Alert Response Task also showed a high degree of consistency across the three research platforms. Performance on a visual Alert Response Task appeared to be highly reactive with the testing conditions present in the instrumented vehicle evaluations. These data have practical implications for the use of driving simulators in experimentally controlled research and also make suggestions about the use of visual warnings to elicit emergency response behaviors in drivers
A Field Study Assessing Driving Performance, Visual Attention, Heart Rate and Subjective Ratings in Response to Two Types of Cognitive Workload
No full textIn an on-road experiment, driving performance, visual attention, heart rate and subjective ratings of workload were evaluated in response to a working memory (n-back) and a visual-spatial (clock) task. Subjective workload ratings for the two types of tasks did not statistically differ, suggesting a similar level of overall workload. Gaze concentration and heart rate showed significant changes relative to single task driving during the extra tasks and the magnitude of change was similar for both, while driving performance measures were not sensitive to the increase in workload. The results suggest high sensitivity of both gaze dispersion and heart rate as measures of workload across these two different types of cognitive demand
Can Frequency Domain Heart Rate Measures Detect Impaired Driver Performance?
No full textAn overnight driving simulation scenario with partial sleep deprivation was utilized to induce driver performance impairment. Heart rate (HR) was recorded over the entire experiment; frequency domain HR measures were derived and correlated to variation of lane deviation (VLD), a driving performance measure, and to the driver's state, which was estimated by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). The aim of this study is to evaluate whether frequency domain heart rate measures can be used to detect impaired driver performance as well as reduced driver state. We generalize the concept of the conventional frequency domain HR measures – namely the very-low frequency (VLF), low frequency (LF) band and high frequency (HF) band – into finer-grained frequency bands of 0.02 Hz width. These newly defined frequency bands show a more detailed correlation to driving performance and to driver sleepiness state, taking subjectspecific differences into account
Driver Response to Phase Termination at Signalized Intersections at Signalized Intersections: Are Driving Simulator Results Valid?
No full textType-II dilemma zones are the segment of roadway approaching an intersection where drivers have difficulty deciding to stop or proceed at the onset of the circular yellow indication. Signalized intersection safety is improved when dilemma zones are correctly identified and steps are taken to reduce the likelihood that vehicles are caught in such zones. This research purports that using driving simulator as a means to collect driver response data at the onset of the circular yellow indication is a valid methodology to augment our analysis of decisions and reactions made within the dilemma zone. The data obtained was compared against that from previous experiments documented in the literature and the evidence suggests that driving simulation is a valid mechanism for describing driver behavior under the given conditions
The Relationship between Real-Time EEG Engagement, Distraction and Workload Estimates and Simulator-Based Driving Performance
No full textIdentifying potentially impaired drivers is often dependent upon using cognitive testing from a controlled environment (clinic, laboratory) to predict behavior in a dynamic and unpredictable real world driving environment. The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility, and validity, of using a wireless EEG system to ultimately differentiate between impaired and unimpaired drivers. We utilized the B-Alert X10 portable wireless EEG/ECG system and applied previously validated EEG algorithms estimating engagement, workload, and distraction within a sample of normal control (n = 10) and HIV seropositive individuals (n = 14). Participants underwent a 30-minute fully interactive driving simulation. Overall, the HIV+ group evidenced significantly higher distraction during the simulation. When grouped according to poor and good performers on the simulation (regardless of HIV serostatus), those performing worse on the simulation had higher distraction, with a trend for lower workload, levels. We then examined EEG profiles immediately preceding a crash. Prior to a crash, participants evidenced a significant increase in distraction ~ 10-14 seconds leading up to the crash; the greatest increase was seen in the HIV+ group. These preliminary data support the potential utility of using EEG data in patient populations to identify individuals who might be at risk for impaired drivin
Can Intermittent Video Sampling Capture Individual Differences in Naturalistic Driving?
No full textWe examined the utility and validity of intermittent video samples from black box devices for capturing individual difference variability in realworld driving performance in an ongoing study of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and community controls. Three types of video clips were coded for several dimensions of interest to driving research including safety, exposure, and driver state. The preliminary findings indicated that clip types successfully captured variability along targeted dimensions such as highway vs. city driving, driver state such as distraction and sleepiness, and safety. Sleepiness metrics were meaningfully associated with adherence to PAP (positive airway pressure) therapy. OSA patients who were PAP adherent showed less sleepiness and less non-driving related gaze movements than nonadherent patients. Simple differences in sleepiness did not readily translate to improvements in driver safety, consistent with epidemiologic evidence to date