Hölzl Roman, Steckhan Lorenz, Lehsing Christian, Savage Steven W, Bowers Alex R
Technical University of Munich.
Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School.
Safety (Basel). 2021 Mar;7(1). doi: 10.3390/safety7010018. Epub 2021 Mar 5.
People with homonymous visual field defects (HVFDs), the loss of vision in the same half of the visual field in both eyes, are permitted to drive in some jurisdictions. However, the HVFD may cause difficulties in detecting hazards approaching on the side of the field loss (the blind side). An advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) could assist with hazard detection, but little research has been conducted to evaluate the potential benefits of an ADAS for visually impaired drivers. We developed a prototype vibro-tactile assistance system for drivers with HVFDs and conducted a proof-of-concept driving simulation study to evaluate the system. Given that pedestrian accidents are the second most frequent cause of death in road traffic and most of those accidents occur in urban scenarios, we evaluated the potential of the assistance system to improve responses to pedestrian hazards in a city environment. Sixteen participants, of which eight had HVFDs and eight had normal vision, took part. Our analyses evaluated the effects of the driver assistance system, crossing direction and pedestrian behavior on the safety of pedestrian events and the participant's gaze behavior at each of the 256 crossing situations. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to assess binomial outcome variables. Despite the limited sample size, the results suggest that the vibro-tactile directional warnings were effective in directing the drivers' gaze so that they were looking in the necessary direction before a potential hazard occurred. More time was spent fixating pedestrians on the blind side when the ADAS was engaged and as a result, the safety of street crossings from the blind side improved. The effect of the ADAS was greater on responses to pedestrians from the blind than the seeing side. With an activated ADAS, crossings from the participants' blind sides were as safe as from their seeing sides, and as safe as the crossings when normally-sighted participants were driving. The results suggest that the vibro-tactile ADAS is a promising approach to improve the safety of drivers with HVFD and surrounding traffic.
患有同向性视野缺损（HVFDs）的人，即双眼视野同一半侧的视力丧失，在一些司法管辖区被允许驾驶。然而，HVFD可能会导致在检测视野缺损一侧（盲区）接近的危险时出现困难。先进的驾驶辅助系统（ADAS）可以协助进行危险检测，但很少有研究评估ADAS对视障驾驶员的潜在益处。我们为患有HVFDs的驾驶员开发了一种原型振动触觉辅助系统，并进行了一项概念验证驾驶模拟研究来评估该系统。鉴于行人事故是道路交通事故中第二大常见死亡原因，且大多数此类事故发生在城市场景中，我们评估了该辅助系统在城市环境中改善对行人危险反应的潜力。16名参与者参加了研究，其中8人患有HVFDs，8人视力正常。我们的分析评估了驾驶辅助系统、交叉方向和行人行为对行人事件安全性以及在256种交叉情况中每种情况下参与者注视行为的影响。使用广义线性混合效应模型来评估二项式结果变量。尽管样本量有限，但结果表明，振动触觉定向警告有效地引导了驾驶员的视线，使他们在潜在危险发生前看向必要的方向。当ADAS启动时，更多时间用于注视盲区的行人，因此，从盲区过马路的安全性得到了提高。ADAS对来自盲区行人的反应的影响比对可见侧行人的反应更大。在ADAS启动的情况下，参与者从盲区过马路与从可见侧过马路一样安全，并且与视力正常的参与者驾驶时过马路一样安全。结果表明，振动触觉ADAS是一种有前途的方法，可以提高患有HVFD的驾驶员及其周围交通的安全性。
