Perception of Driving Simulations: Can the Level of Detail of Virtual Scenarios Affect the Driver's Behavior and Emotions?

Abstract

Human factors studies are becoming more and more crucial in the automotive sector due to the need to evaluate the driver's reactions to the increasingly sophisticated drivingassistant technologies. Driving simulators allow performing this kind of study in a controlled and safe environment. However, the driving simulation's Level of Detail (LOD) can affect the users' perception of driving scenarios and make an experimental campaign's outcomes unreliable. This paper proposes a study investigating possible correlations between driver's behaviors and emotions, and simulated driving scenarios. Four scenarios replicating the same real area were built with four LODs from LOD0 (only the road is drawn) to LOD3 (all buildings with real textures for facades and roofs are inserted together with items visible from the road). 32 participants drove in all the four scenarios on a fixed-base driving simulator; their performance relating to the vehicle control (i.e. speed, trajectory, brake and gas pedal use, and steering wheel), their physiological data (electrodermal activity, and eye movements), their subjective perceptions, opinions and emotional state (questionnaires concerning the research and Self-Assessment Manikin Scale) were measured. The results showed that driver's behavior changes in a very complex way. Geometrical features of the route and environmental elements constrain much more driving behavior than LOD does, as observed for vehicle trajectory and speed; skin conductance and gas pedal appear to be more sensitive to LODs. Gaze position changes according to LODs, but differently for rectilinear and curvilinear segments. Pupil diameter increases with higher LODs. Emotions are not affected by LODs. Generally, different signals showed different correlations with the LOD level, suggesting that future studies should consider their measures while modeling the virtual scenario. It is hypothesized that scenario realism is more relevant during leisurely environmental interaction, whilst simulator fidelity is crucial in task-driven interactions.

Predicting Perceived Realism in Virtual Reality Driving Simulations Using Participants’ Personality Traits, Heart Rate Changes, and Risk Preference

“…Himmels et al [20] compared the perceived realism of lower-and higher-fidelity simulators, and found that the latter, which had a full-vehicle mockup with a 360-degree field of view, achieved higher perceived realism than the former, which had a full-vehicle mockup with a 180-degree field of view. By contrast, Shi et al [21] manipulated a driving scenario that changed the details of buildings and surrounding environment to investigate the differences in perceived realism and found no significant effect of these details of VR scenarios. Finally, recent research investigating the influences of external factors on perceived realism in VR driving simulations includes the study by Colley et al [22], who found that swivel seat rotation increased perceived realism.…”

Emotional and Cognitive Maps for Urban Design Education: A Human-Centered Design Learning Approach

“…In such a perspective, it is crucial selecting the adequate constructs [12] and related tools depending on the goal, be it an investigation of the existing condition [13] or the assessment of a design proposal [14,15]. Emotions are one of the most investigated constructs describing the subjective reaction to a given environment [16], applied, for example, to commercial settings [17,18] or mobility experience [19][20][21]. The place experience can be described also referring to the cognitive dimension, for example, considering the balance between a good understanding of a place and the attraction to further explore it as an indicator of preferred environments [22].…”

Failure to integrate? Investigating multisensory acceleration perception on a cable-robot simulator

“…In all of these developments, the most important factor that manufacturers try to optimize is the driving experience evaluated by the driver. Driving experience is a multidimensional construct [1][2][3] , which from a human factor's perspective is shaped by many different aspects, including driving performance 4 , driving experience 5 , age 5,6 , personality traits 5 , as well as fatigue 7 , emotions 8 , behaviors 8 , and intention 9 . Importantly, however, the first step for any of these aspects consists of the various perceptual inputs generated by the driving environment and processed via the different sensory modalities.…”

“…As examples, Braun 5 have tried to optimize in-car visual information systems for automotive user interfaces using perceptual principles. In the context of driving simulations, Shi 8 measured driving performance, physiological data, subjective evaluations, and emotional states depending on the visual level of detail of the simulation, showing that visual fidelity, indeed, has a broad impact on the driving experience. One of the earliest studies investigating acceleration perception is that of Rockwell and Snider, who determined the absolute threshold of linear acceleration for linear acceleration with automotive vehicles to between 0.01 and 0.02g 24 .…”