Creating Tactile Interaction Surfaces for the Origo Steering Wheel Concept using CWI and EHWs

Abstract

As the automotive industry transitions to electric and autonomous vehicles (SAE 2-3) more and more information needs to be reviewed by the driver in real-time. Conventional information presentation techniques are not ideal for reviewing this type of information as it lacks multimodal and cross modal presentation. Haptics, one of the key interaction modalities, is often over-looked as it is considered non-functional in a vibration heavy environment, such as a moving vehicle. However, modern techniques of generating, medi-ating, and delivering tactile feedback have greatly improved in the last five years. Localizing techniques such as Constructive Wave Interference (CWI) and mediation technique of Embedded Haptic Waveguides (EHWs) can be combined to create reliable and consistent tactile output in even the most challenging environments. In this research authors utilize these techniques to create tactile feedback zones on the steering wheel, which can be used to relay haptic signals to the driver with little to no visual demand. These zones were 3D-printed onto an intelligent adaptive (Origo) steering wheel. Authors com-pared the efficiency of the Origo Wheel with the onboard wheel of a Porsche Cayenne, using identical actuation components while the vehicle was being driven on the Nokia Tires Track. Compared to the Porsche Cayenne's original steering wheel, the Origo wheel was able to mediate actuation to the driver’s point of contact more efficiently which yielded better driving and secondary task performance. Using the Origo wheel was also rated to have required low-er cognitive load in completing the IVIS tasks in the moving vehicle.