Taking the load off: investigations of how adaptive cruise control affects mental workload
Taking the load off: investigations of how adaptive cruise control affects mental workload
It has been posited that Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) represents a new generation of vehicle automation, in that it has the potential to relieve drivers of mental as well as physical workload. The results of previous research however, have raised some confusing issues about the specific effects of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on driver mental workload (MWL)—some studies report reduced MWL compared to manual driving, while others find no effect. Two hypotheses are proposed in an attempt to explain these discrepancies: (a) that any potential MWL reductions due to ACC could be masked by the overriding influence of steering demand; or (b) that the tasks designed in some experiments do not exploit the adaptive nature of the ACC system, therefore precluding any potential benefits. Two related experiments were designed to test these hypotheses. It was found that the main reason for the discrepant findings was the nature of the driving task chosen—constant-speed tasks do not realise the mental workload benefits of ACC. Future researchers using ACC devices are advised to use variable-speed tasks to ensure that all aspects of device functionality are covered.
adaptive cruise control, driving simulator, mental workload, vehicle automation
1014-1035
Young, Mark S.
3f79589e-2000-4cb0-832a-6eba54f50130
Stanton, Neville A.
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd
July 2004
Young, Mark S.
3f79589e-2000-4cb0-832a-6eba54f50130
Stanton, Neville A.
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd
Young, Mark S. and Stanton, Neville A.
(2004)
Taking the load off: investigations of how adaptive cruise control affects mental workload.
Ergonomics, 47 (9), .
(doi:10.1080/00140130410001686348).
Abstract
It has been posited that Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) represents a new generation of vehicle automation, in that it has the potential to relieve drivers of mental as well as physical workload. The results of previous research however, have raised some confusing issues about the specific effects of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on driver mental workload (MWL)—some studies report reduced MWL compared to manual driving, while others find no effect. Two hypotheses are proposed in an attempt to explain these discrepancies: (a) that any potential MWL reductions due to ACC could be masked by the overriding influence of steering demand; or (b) that the tasks designed in some experiments do not exploit the adaptive nature of the ACC system, therefore precluding any potential benefits. Two related experiments were designed to test these hypotheses. It was found that the main reason for the discrepant findings was the nature of the driving task chosen—constant-speed tasks do not realise the mental workload benefits of ACC. Future researchers using ACC devices are advised to use variable-speed tasks to ensure that all aspects of device functionality are covered.
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Published date: July 2004
Keywords:
adaptive cruise control, driving simulator, mental workload, vehicle automation
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Local EPrints ID: 73914
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/73914
ISSN: 1366-5847
PURE UUID: 25b99e4d-a218-477a-98d1-8de22ac2d036
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Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 03:27
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Author:
Mark S. Young
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