Simulator validation with respect to driver sleepiness and subjective experiences: final report of the project SleepEYE II, part 1
In the previous project SleepEYE, which aimed at developing tools for driver sleepiness detection, two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, 18 drivers conducted two driving sessions on a motorway: one during daytime (alert) and one at night (sleep deprived). Sixteen of the drivers participated in the second experiment, which was similar to the first one, except that the driving sessions were conducted in an advanced moving base driving simulator. In the present study, the validity of the simulator was assessed using data that was collected in the two experiments. The validation analysis had three focuses: 1) general driver and driving behaviour related to driver sleepiness, 2) speed profile at change in posted speed limit, and 3) drivers’ subjective experience of the vehicle, the driving environment and the own driving performance. The results showed that there were significant differences in mean speed, blink duration, percentage road centre (gaze), radius of 95 per cent cone (gaze) and KSS between the simulator and the real road. No such differences were found for left and right line crossings. For all indicators except blink duration, there was no interaction effect between platform (simulator vs. real road) and time on task, which indicates that the signs of sleepiness vary in a similar way regardless of platform. At the change in posted speed limit, speed was in general higher and it decreased more in the simulator than on the real road. When the drivers were asked to judge the validity in terms of realism, staying alert, handling of boredom, etcetera, they found it more difficult in the simulator than on the real road, which indicates a relatively low absolute validity. The drivers also experienced a higher degree of lack of control in the simulator compared to the real road. Eye sensitive measures like eye strain and difficulties focusing were seen as more prevalent in the simulator. The latter may be an effect of the situation rather than of sleepiness. The experience of heavy eye lids was not different between platforms. Not surprisingly, the drivers experienced their own cars as more alike the experimental car than the simulator. In conclusion, differences between the simulator and the real road with respect to driving and driver behaviour as well as subjective experiences were found, mainly in terms of speed, level of sleepiness and subjective experience of the vehicle. However, the signs of sleepiness and the development of sleepiness over time are similar in the simulator and on the real road, although the level is higher in the simulator. Thus, there is a relative but not absolute validity with respect to driver sleepiness. Similarly, there seems to be a relative validity for speed and changes in speed.
- Record URL:
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Authors:
- Fors, Carina
- Ahlstrom, Christer
- Anund, Anna
- Publication Date: 2013
Language
- English
Media Info
- Pagination: 48p
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Serial:
- ViP publication
- Issue Number: 2013-1
- Publisher: ViP - Virtual Prototyping and Assessment by Simulation, Sweden
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Driving simulators; Evaluation; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Test procedures
- ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 1772: Driver; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 2222: Fatigue (human); 1680: Simulator (driving); 6288: Test method
- Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01495755
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
- Files: ITRD, VTI
- Created Date: Oct 17 2013 10:44AM