Knowing me, knowing you-A study on top-down requirements for compensatory scanning in drivers with homonymous visual field loss.

Objective: It is currently still unknown why some drivers with visual field loss can compensate well for their visual impairment while others adopt ineffective strategies. This paper contributes to the methodological investigation of the associated top-down mechanisms and aims at validating a theoretical model on the requirements for successful compensation among drivers with homonymous visual field loss.

Methods: A driving simulator study was conducted with eight participants with homonymous visual field loss and eight participants with normal vision.

Exoskeletons: A challenge for development.

The development of exoskeletons is currently a lengthy process full of challenges. We are proposing a framework to accelerate the process and make the resulting exoskeletons more user-centered. The needed accomplishments in science are described in an effort to lay the foundation for future research projects.

Digital ergonomics and digital work planning in university education: experiences from Germany and Austria.

The publication presents an overview of the use of digital human models (DHM) in academic education at five exemplary universities in Germany and Austria. In addition to the presentation of different human models, the integration of them into the respective lectures is discussed. The teaching concepts of the individual courses of the universities, exercise examples and scenarios are presented.

Non-driving related tasks' effects on takeover and manual driving behavior in a real driving setting: A differentiation approach based on task switching and modality shifting.

Many studies on effects of non-driving related tasks in the context of SAE Level3 automated driving have been conducted in driving simulator settings applying standardized tasks. Thereby internal validity is favored over external validity. To assess the influence of engagement in three natural non-driving related tasks on takeover behavior in the context of SAE Level3 automated driving, we conducted an experiment on a test track with a sample of naïve participants from the general public.

A Compliance-Reactance Framework for Evaluating Human-Robot Interaction.

When do we follow requests and recommendations and which ones do we choose not to comply with? This publication combines definitions of compliance and reactance as behaviours and as affective processes in one model for application to human-robot interaction. The framework comprises three steps: human perception, comprehension, and selection of an action following a cue given by a robot. The paper outlines the application of the model in different study settings such as controlled experiments that allow for the assessment of cognition as well as observational field studies that lack this possibility.

Opportunities and Limitations of a Gaze-Contingent Display to Simulate Visual Field Loss in Driving Simulator Studies.

Background: Research on task performance under visual field loss is often limited due to small and heterogenous samples. Simulations of visual impairments hold the potential to account for many of those challenges. Digitally altered pictures, glasses, and contact lenses with partial occlusions have been used in the past.

How users of automated vehicles benefit from predictive ambient light displays.

With the introduction of Level 3 and 4 automated driving, the engagement in a variety of non-driving related activities (NDRAs) will become legal. Previous research has shown that users desire information about the remaining time in automated driving mode and system status information to plan and terminate their activity engagement. In past studies, however, the positive effect of this additional information was realized when it was integrated in or displayed close by the NDRA.

Investigating Differences in Behavior and Brain in Human-Human and Human-Autonomous Vehicle Interactions in Time-Critical Situations.

Some studies provide evidence that humans could actively exploit the alleged technological advantages of autonomous vehicles (AVs). This implies that humans may tend to interact differently with AVs as compared to human driven vehicles (HVs) with the knowledge that AVs are programmed to be risk-averse. Hence, it is important to investigate how humans interact with AVs in complex traffic situations.

[Work design measures and solutions for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic analysis of work in the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors in Germany].

The demand to adapt the work processes to hygiene- and contact reduction requirements in order to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany has led to short-term and sometimes radical changes in companies and organizations. Based on 52 expert interviews with company and organization representatives, this research project analyzed which pandemic-related changes in the context of work occur on a supraregional and cross-sectoral level, how they are to be evaluated, and which new ways of working might also prove beneficial to companies after the pandemic. In line with existing studies, an increasing flexibilization of work location and working hours, an acceleration of the digitalization of work processes, and effects on leadership culture were identified.

Communication via motion - Suitability of automated vehicle movements to negotiate the right of way in road bottleneck scenarios.

The introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) into urban areas initially leads to mixed traffic, consisting of AVs, human drivers, and vulnerable road users. Since the AV's passenger is no longer actively involved in the driving task, there may be changes in the interaction between AVs and surrounding human road users. Therefore, it is essential for an AV to behave in a comprehensible manner in order to maintain or even enhance traffic efficiency and traffic safety.

Design of a hesitant movement gesture for mobile robots.

In previous experiments, a back-off movement was introduced as a motion strategy of robots to facilitate the order of passage at bottlenecks in human-robot spatial interaction. In this article we take a closer look at the appropriate application of motion parameters that make the backward movement legible. Related works in distance perception, size-speed illusions, and viewpoint-based legibility considerations suggest a relationship between the size of the robot and the observer's perspective on the expected execution of this movement.

Pedestrian Crossing Decisions in Virtual Environments: Behavioral Validity in CAVEs and Head-Mounted Displays.

Objective: To contribute to the validation of virtual reality (VR) as a tool for analyzing pedestrian behavior, we compared two types of high-fidelity pedestrian simulators to a test track.

Background: While VR has become a popular tool in pedestrian research, it is uncertain to what extent simulator studies evoke the same behavior as nonvirtual environments.

Method: An identical experimental procedure was replicated in a CAVE automatic virtual environment (CAVE), a head-mounted display (HMD), and on a test track.

Measuring egocentric distance perception in virtual reality: Influence of methodologies, locomotion and translation gains.

Virtual reality has become a popular means to study human behavior in a wide range of settings, including the role of pedestrians in traffic research. To understand distance perception in virtual environments is thereby crucial to the interpretation of results, as reactions to complex and dynamic traffic scenarios depend on perceptual processes allowing for the correct anticipation of future events. A number of approaches have been suggested to quantify perceived distances.

Effects of Task-Induced Fatigue in Prolonged Conditional Automated Driving.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of task-induced fatigue in prolonged conditional automated driving on takeover performance.

Background: In conditional automated driving, the driver can engage in non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) and does not have to monitor the system and the driving environment. In the event that the system hits its limits, the human driver must regain control of the car.

Why Do I Have to Drive Now? Post Hoc Explanations of Takeover Requests.

Objective: It was investigated whether providing an explanation for a takeover request in automated driving influences trust in automation and acceptance.

Background: Takeover requests will be recurring events in conditionally automated driving that could undermine trust as well as acceptance and, therefore, the successful introduction of automated vehicles.

Method: Forty participants were equally assigned to either an experimental group provided with an explanation of the reason for a takeover request or a control group without explanations.

Modeling take-over performance in level 3 conditionally automated vehicles.

Taking over vehicle control from a Level 3 conditionally automated vehicle can be a demanding task for a driver. The take-over determines the controllability of automated vehicle functions and thereby also traffic safety. This paper presents models predicting the main take-over performance variables take-over time, minimum time-to-collision, brake application and crash probability.

Influence of Size-Weight Illusion on Usability in Haptic Human-Robot Collaboration.

Collaborative power amplifying robots are accepted as one solution to overcome flexibility and ergonomic issues in future work and life scenarios. The handling of various sized and weighted objects in heterogeneous environments pose a particular challenge to the often applied admittance control. Haptic illusions, especially the Size-Weight Illusion (SWI), where the smaller of two equally weighted objects is perceived to be heavier, can have malicious, disturbing, or to some extent useful influence on system stability and usability.

Introduction matters: Manipulating trust in automation and reliance in automated driving.

Trust in automation is a key determinant for the adoption of automated systems and their appropriate use. Therefore, it constitutes an essential research area for the introduction of automated vehicles to road traffic. In this study, we investigated the influence of trust promoting (Trust promoted group) and trust lowering (Trust lowered group) introductory information on reported trust, reliance behavior and take-over performance.

Take-over performance in evasive manoeuvres.

We investigated after effects of automation in take-over scenarios in a high-end moving-base driving simulator. Drivers performed evasive manoeuvres encountering a blocked lane in highway driving. We compared the performance of drivers 1) during manual driving, 2) after automated driving with eyes on the road while performing the cognitively demanding n-back task, and 3) after automated driving with eyes off the road performing the visually demanding SuRT task.

Take-over again: Investigating multimodal and directional TORs to get the driver back into the loop.

When a highly automated car reaches its operational limits, it needs to provide a take-over request (TOR) in order for the driver to resume control. The aim of this simulator-based study was to investigate the effects of TOR modality and left/right directionality on drivers' steering behaviour when facing a head-on collision without having received specific instructions regarding the directional nature of the TORs. Twenty-four participants drove three sessions in a highly automated car, each session with a different TOR modality (auditory, vibrotactile, and auditory-vibrotactile).

Taking Over Control From Highly Automated Vehicles in Complex Traffic Situations: The Role of Traffic Density.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of traffic density and verbal tasks on takeover performance in highly automated driving.

Background: In highly automated vehicles, the driver has to occasionally take over vehicle control when approaching system limits. To ensure safety, the ability of the driver to regain control of the driving task under various driving situations and different driver states needs to be quantified.

Towards cooperative guidance and control of highly automated vehicles: H-Mode and Conduct-by-Wire.

This article provides a general ergonomic framework of cooperative guidance and control for vehicles with an emphasis on the cooperation between a human and a highly automated vehicle. In the twenty-first century, mobility and automation technologies are increasingly fused. In the sky, highly automated aircraft are flying with a high safety record.

Aircraft seating comfort: the influence of seat pitch on passengers' well-being.

One of the most important factors influencing aircraft seating comfort in economy class, is legroom. In an airline interior mock up, with the ability to adjust the seat pitch in a range of 28 inches to 43 inches, a study to investigate the influence of seat pitch on passengers' well-being was conducted. In a pre-study, aspects of subjective postural sensations and spatial perception were identified, and a questionnaire was developed.