User Responses to Dynamic Light in Automobiles With EEG and Self-Assessments

Abstract

This study investigates the emotional responses to vehicle interior lighting by measuring physiological reactions and psychological judgments. Individually controllable LEDs are installed in the front area of the passenger car (Sonata DN8, Hyundai Motor Company) and generate light stimuli by varying the attributes of the LEDs for the user experiment. Forty participants volunteered in the experiment and opted to evaluate either blue (468 nm) and orange (589 nm) light prior to the main session. Each participant was presented with twelve lighting signatures made with six lighting behaviors applied to two types of placements. During the experiment, we collected the alpha and beta waves using an electroencephalography (EEG) and subjective assessments of the lighting with seven questions. The ratio of the beta waves was the highest in the Blink mode, followed by the Fade and Collide modes. We combined the EEG responses with subjective assessments of seven adjective pairs toward evidence-based guidance for designing user-centered light in automobiles.