Nudge: Haptic Pre-Cueing to Communicate Automotive Intent

TL;DR

This paper presents three haptic pre-cueing prototypes designed to communicate autonomous vehicle intentions to drivers, aiming to improve awareness without distraction, tested through Wizard of Oz protocols.

Contribution

It introduces novel haptic interaction prototypes for autonomous vehicle communication and evaluates their effectiveness using pilot testing methods.

Findings

Haptic cues can effectively communicate vehicle intentions.

Different prototypes offer varying levels of driver awareness.

Pilot study indicates potential for non-intrusive vehicle signaling.

Abstract

To increase driver awareness in a fully autonomous vehicle, we developed several haptic interaction prototypes that signal what the car is planning to do next. The goal was to use haptic cues so that the driver could be situation aware but not distracted from the non-driving tasks they may be engaged in. This paper discusses the three prototypes tested and the guiding metaphor behind each concept. We also highlight the Wizard of Oz protocol adopted to test the haptic interaction prototypes and some key findings from the pilot study.