As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Congress press for removing safety regulations in order to fast-track the introduction of highly automated vehicles, human factors/ergonomics experts recommend requiring important testing and driver support. A newly released statement from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) shows how to make autonomous vehicles safer. Extensive research […]
Researchers Challenge The “Levels Of Automation” Framework In Automated Vehicles
The widespread push by car, truck, and drone makers toward increasingly automated vehicles has moved faster than technology and faster than legislation. A special issue of Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making addresses how research methods used in studying human-automation interaction might be lagging behind these fast-moving developments. The papers address ways to close the research […]
Will Automated Vehicles Take The Stress Out Of Driving? Research Says ‘Don’t Count On It’
The expectation that automated vehicles will make drivers’ jobs easier, especially if they’ve been behind the wheel for an extended period, may be more than a little flawed, according to a study by human factors/ergonomics researchers at Texas Tech University. In their newly published Human Factors article, “Driver Vigilance in Automated Vehicles: Hazard Detection Failures Are a […]
Don’t Leave Baby Boomers Behind When Designing Wearable Technology
Wearable devices have been heralded as one of the next great technological frontiers. They can provide all users, including older ones, with constantly updated medical information by tracking cardiac health, identifying potential illnesses, and serving as emergency alert systems, among other benefits. That is, if you can get older users to adopt wearable technology. In […]
It’s Still A Bad Idea To Text While Driving Even With A Head-Up Display
Drivers commonly perform secondary tasks while behind the wheel to navigate or communicate with others, which has led to a significant increase in the number of injuries and fatalities attributed to distracted driving. Advances in wearable technology, particularly devices such as Google Glass, which feature voice control and head-up display (HUD) functionalities, raise questions about […]
Over to You, Automation
Many recent human factors studies of takeover time in automated vehicles have looked at how long it takes a driver to switch out of automation mode, usually in critical situations. Alexander Eriksson and Neville Stanton at the University of Southampton, focusing on automation takeover time in noncritical situations, took what is likely the first in-depth […]
On the Road to Autonomy, Remember the Operator
Automakers and their tech partners may be looking toward a future when they can offer fully autonomous cars, but Mica Endsley, the author of the recently released Human Factors paper, “From Here to Autonomy,” contends that without considering the cognitive constraints of the driver, safety can’t be assured. People will still be needed to oversee, direct, and […]
Expectation Versus Reality in the Acceptance of Self-Driving Cars
As interest in the development of automated cars increases, public and media attention has focused on the speculative benefit of having an abundance of in-vehicle work and leisure time that would otherwise be spent driving. Although initial reports have suggested that the public is beginning to embrace this idealistic portrayal of self-driving cars, these emerging […]
Expectation Versus Reality in the Acceptance of Self-Driving Cars
As interest in the development of automated cars increases, public and media attention has focused on the speculative benefit of having an abundance of in-vehicle work and leisure time that would otherwise be spent driving. Although initial reports have suggested that the public is beginning to embrace this idealistic portrayal of self-driving cars, these emerging […]
‘Haptic Glasses’ Could Make Car Navigation Safer, Less Distracting
Do you find your car’s navigation system distracting? Do you have to stop talking to your passengers when you’re following GPS instructions? Does your driving sometimes suffer? No surprise. Research has shown that the vocal and visual instructions coming from conventional navigation systems demand the same cognitive attention that’s required for driving, increasing the likelihood […]
