Mercedes-Benz AG, Leibnizstr. 2, 71032, Böblingen, Germany; Ulm University, Dept. Human Factors, Albert-Einstein-Allee 41, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
Ulm University, Dept. Human Factors, Albert-Einstein-Allee 41, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
Appl Ergon. 2021 Jul;94:103425. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103425. Epub 2021 Apr 14.
Pedestrians rely on vehicle dynamics, engine sound, and driver cues. The lack of engine sound now constitutes an addressed pedestrian safety issue for (hybrid) electric vehicles ((H)EVs). Analogously, lacking driver cues may constitute a pedestrian safety issue for self-driving vehicles (SDVs). The purpose of this study was to systematically compare the relevance of substituting driver cues with an external human-machine interface among SDVs (no eHMI vs. eHMI) with the relevance of substituting engine sound with artificial sound among (H)EVs (no engine sound vs. engine sound). In a within-subject design, twenty-nine participants acting as pedestrians encountered a simulated SDV in a parking lot. The results revealed that both informational cues have equally large effects on subjective measures such as perceived safety. In semi-structured interviews, participants stated that it is equally crucial to equip SDVs with an eHMI as equipping (H)EVs with an artificial sound generator. We conclude that an eHMI for SDVs seems to be as relevant as an artificial sound for (H)EVs.
行人依赖于车辆动力学、发动机声音和驾驶员提示。现在，发动机声音的缺失构成了混合动力电动汽车 (HEV) 的行人安全问题。类似地，缺乏驾驶员提示可能构成自动驾驶汽车 (SDV) 的行人安全问题。本研究的目的是系统比较在 SDV 中用外部人机界面替代驾驶员提示的相关性（无电子人机界面 (eHMI) 与有电子人机界面 (eHMI)）与在 HEV 中用人工声音替代发动机声音的相关性（无发动机声音与有发动机声音）。在一项被试内设计中，二十九名充当行人的参与者在停车场遇到了模拟的 SDV。结果表明，两种信息提示对主观测量（如感知安全性）都具有同等大的影响。在半结构化访谈中，参与者表示为 SDV 配备电子人机界面与为 HEV 配备人工声音发生器同样重要。我们得出结论，对于 SDV 来说，电子人机界面似乎与 HEV 中的人工声音一样重要。
