Appropriate operation inducement by biasing perception of velocity using tactile stimulation

Abstract

Traffic congestion and accidents are more likely to occur on gently undulating roads called sags, because drivers are less likely to recognize a change in velocity. Therefore, to induce appropriate judgement and operation, we have proposed to bias the perception of velocity by tactile stimulation. Our previous study showed that the frequency of vibrotactile stimulation based on an engine is related to the perception of velocity and that an increase or decrease in frequency makes the driver feel they are traveling faster or slower than the actual velocity. In this study, to define the control initiation condition that biases the perception of velocity, we investigated a boundary model that can notice a change in velocity based on the velocity and the acceleration. Additionally, we investigated the effect of noticing a change in velocity and the driver’s response by biasing the perception of velocity. Psychophysical experiments were conducted using a driving simulator that simulates the vibration of an actual vehicle. The results showed that the change in velocity required to notice an increase or decrease in velocity was 4 km/h when the accelerations were 0.02 and 0.04 m/s $$^{2}$$ , − 6 km/h when the acceleration was − 0.02 m/s $$^{2}$$ , and − 4 km/h when the accelerations were − 0.04 and − 0.06 m/s $$^{2}$$ . Furthermore, by biasing the perception of velocity, we demonstrated that the participants recognized a change in velocity on a gently undulating road and appropriately operated the acceleration pedal.