The Effect of Haptic Support Systems on Driver Performance: A Literature Survey

Abstract

A large number of haptic driver support systems have been described in the scientific literature. However, there is little consensus regarding the design, evaluation methods, and effectiveness of these systems. This literature survey aimed to investigate: (1) what haptic systems (in terms of function, haptic signal, channel, and supported task) have been experimentally tested, (2) how these haptic systems have been evaluated, and (3) their reported effects on driver performance and behaviour. We reviewed empirical research in which participants had to drive a vehicle in a real or simulated environment, were able to control the heading and/or speed of the vehicle, and a haptic signal was provided to them. The results indicated that a clear distinction can be made between warning systems (using vibrations) and guidance systems (using continuous forces). Studies typically used reaction time measures for evaluating warning systems and vehicle-centred performance measures for evaluating guidance systems. In general, haptic warning systems reduced the reaction time of a driver compared to no warnings, although these systems may cause annoyance. Guidance systems generally improved the performance of drivers compared to non-aided driving, but these systems may suffer from after-effects. Longitudinal research is needed to investigate the transfer and retention of effects caused by haptic support systems.

Design of a Haptic Feedback System for Flight Envelope Protection

“…In the automotive field, haptics can be used on the gas pedal to show the proximity of a car in front, resulting in an increased performance while reducing input magnitudes [20]. Haptics can additionally be used to support curve negotiation through the steering wheel using two approaches: i) warning systems which reduce the reaction time of the driver while have a potential to induce driver-annoyance, and ii) guidance systems (for example to the center of the road) improved performance yet are subjective to after-effects [21].…”

“…The literature shows different ways of changing the haptic profile: in the automotive field, there is a strong focus on using a forcing function that can be used as both a warning signal [29,30] or as a guidance force [20,21]. Aerospace applications show examples that add a soft stop (a local step in the amount of force required), a hardstop (a change in maximum deflection) [5], forcing functions [31], changes in the stick neutral position [12], and changes in nominal stick stiffness [32,33].…”

Driver-automation indirect shared control of highly automated vehicles with intention-aware authority transition

“…Haptic shared control is generally implemented on traditional vehicles with mechanical steering systems, where the automation takes control by applying an additional torque on the steering column. The application scenarios and benefits of haptic shared control are surveyed in [6]. Steer-by-wire technology allows the mechanical decoupling between the steering wheel and the road wheels.…”

Does haptic steering guidance instigate speeding? A driving simulator study into causes and remedies

“…One type of ADAS which is growing in popularity and which may be particularly prone to BA is haptic steering guidance. The philosophy of haptic steering guidance is to use the control interfaces as channels for continuous communication and interaction between the driver and an intelligent vehicle, thereby keeping the driver informed and involved in the driving task, and mitigating the out-of-theloop problems that occur in hands-free automated driving Flemisch et al, 2008;Griffiths and Gillespie, 2005;Johns et al, 2016;Mars et al, 2014a;O'Malley et al, 2006;Soualmi et al, 2014, and see Petermeijer et al, 2015b for a review). Concretely, haptic steering guidance continuously assists drivers during a steering task by providing torques on the steering wheel based on the target steering behavior of an automated controller.…”