Susceptibility to audio signals during autonomous driving

We investigate how susceptible human drivers are to auditory signals in three situations: when stationary, when driving, or when being driven by an autonomous vehicle. Previous research has shown that human susceptibility is reduced when driving compared to when being stationary. However, it is not...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-08, Vol.13 (8), p.e0201963-e0201963
Main Authors: van der Heiden, Remo M A, Janssen, Christian P, Donker, Stella F, Hardeman, Lotte E S, Mans, Keri, Kenemans, J Leon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Audio signal generators
Audio signals
Auditory signals
Auditory stimuli
Automatic control
Automation
Autonomous vehicles
Behavior
Biology and Life Sciences
Driverless cars
Driving conditions
EEG
Electroencephalography
Engineering and Technology
Event-related potentials
Experimental psychology
Human-computer interaction
Medicine and Health Sciences
Neurophysiology
Physical Sciences
Research and Analysis Methods
Social Sciences
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Summary:We investigate how susceptible human drivers are to auditory signals in three situations: when stationary, when driving, or when being driven by an autonomous vehicle. Previous research has shown that human susceptibility is reduced when driving compared to when being stationary. However, it is not known how susceptible humans are under autonomous driving conditions. At the same time, good susceptibility is crucial under autonomous driving conditions, as such systems might use auditory signals to communicate a transition of control from the automated vehicle to the human driver. We measured susceptibility using a three-stimulus auditory oddball paradigm while participants experienced three driving conditions: stationary, autonomous, or driving. We studied susceptibility through the frontal P3 (fP3) Electroencephalography Event-Related Potential response (EEG ERP response). Results show that the fP3 component is reduced in autonomous compared to stationary conditions, but not as strongly as when participants drove themselves. In addition, the fP3 component is further reduced when the oddball task does not require a response (i.e., in a passive condition, versus active). The implication is that, even in a relatively simple autonomous driving scenario, people's susceptibility of auditory signals is not as high as would be beneficial for responding to auditory stimuli.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0201963