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Adaptive Integrated Driver-vehicle InterfacE (AIDE)

Funding organisation: European Commission Sixth Framework Programme, Information Society Technologies

2004-2005

The general objective of the AIDE Integrated Project is to generate the knowledge and develop methodologies and human-machine interface technologies required for safe and efficient integration of ADAS, IVIS and nomad devices into the driving environment. In this investigation undertaken in the LADS, an adaptive Forward Collision Warning system (FCW) was developed. FCW is an on-board electronic safety device that has the potential to protect its host vehicle from collision with preceding traffic. The system continuously monitors traffic obstacles in front of the host vehicle and warns the driver when a risk of collision is imminent.

In this study, the adaptive FCW had the ability to adapt the timing of its alarms according to an individual driver's personal style. Whilst all drivers benefited in terms of improved safety from FCW, non-aggressive drivers (low sensation seeking, long followers, slow reactors) appeared not to display a preference to the adaptive system over a non-adaptive equivalent. Furthermore, there was little evidence to suggest that the non-aggressive drivers' performance is any different with either adaptive or non-adaptive systems.

The benefits of the adaptive system were demonstrated when it came to aggressive drivers (high sensation seeking, short followers, fast reactors). Even though the behavioural evidence indicated that the system had a highly significant positive safety benefit, the aggressive drivers tended to rate FCW in general much more poorly than their non-aggressive contemporaries. This is likely to be due to that fact that they find FCW more irritating and stress inducing than non-aggressive drivers.

However, some of these issues that can turn aggressive drivers off FCW are mitigated when adaptive systems are used: their acceptance of the system is improved and their irritation and stress is reduced. Nevertheless, concerns remain that the proven benefits of such system might still be in conflict by their annoying features.