Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China.
Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Appl Ergon. 2021 Jan;90:103238. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2020.103238. Epub 2020 Sep 30.
Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology has brought a shift in the traditional role of the driver. This paper applies a user-centred design approach to designing a new AV interior to better support drivers. Three empirical studies were conducted, involving a total of 92 drivers (with 44 in Study 1, 12 in Study 2, and 36 in Study 3) to explore user needs and requirements in an AV. In Study 1, safety and comfort, together with a variety of non-driving activities, were identified as the principal concerns about future autonomous vehicles. Based on these findings, Study 2 proposes a new rotatable seating position for AVs, with an in-vehicle information display to facilitate users' activities and situational awareness while driving. Study 3 consists of a series of laboratory simulator evaluation studies, and this indicated that drivers in the proposed design condition had better situational awareness in an AV when dealing with take-over situations. Such findings suggest the possibility of applying rear-facing seats in autonomous vehicles to support in-vehicle non-driving activities. Some specific implications of designs to enhance a driver's situational awareness have also been suggested.
自动驾驶汽车 (AV) 技术改变了传统驾驶员的角色。本研究采用以用户为中心的设计方法来设计新的 AV 内饰，以更好地支持驾驶员。进行了三项实证研究，共有 92 名驾驶员参与（研究 1 中 44 名，研究 2 中 12 名，研究 3 中 36 名），以探索未来自动驾驶汽车中的用户需求和要求。在研究 1 中，安全性和舒适性以及各种非驾驶活动被确定为未来自动驾驶汽车的主要关注点。基于这些发现，研究 2 提出了一种新的可旋转座椅位置，以及车内信息显示屏，以方便用户在驾驶时的活动和情境感知。研究 3 由一系列实验室模拟器评估研究组成，结果表明，在处理接管情况时，采用建议设计条件的驾驶员在自动驾驶汽车中的情境感知能力更好。这些发现表明，在自动驾驶汽车中应用后排座椅来支持车内非驾驶活动是可能的。还提出了一些增强驾驶员情境感知能力的设计的具体意义。
