Requirements Discovery for Smart Driver Assistive Technology Through Simulation

Abstract

Smart driver assistive technologies (DAT) have been developed to alleviate accident risk by either reducing driver workload or assessing driver attentiveness. Such systems aim to draw drivers’ attention on critical cues that improve their decision making. In some cases, these systems can have a negative effect to the driver due to the extra information load they incur to the user. Therefore, in addition to specifying the functional requirements there is an urgent need to address the human requirements of such system which include workload and SA. The first step in improving drivers’ SA is to enhance driver’s capability of perceiving and interpreting information from traffic and environmental cues. These constitute Level 1 and 2 of the SA model. However, most DAT systems, facilitate high (i.e. level 3) SA for navigation, but as highlighted earlier, they might decrease drivers’ attention and hence, level 1 SA due to secondary task execution that undermines attention to primary task of operational or tactical driving behaviours (e.g. braking, lane changing, gap acceptance etc.). To that end, three important issues need to be addressed prior to departing in any DAT development. These are: the identification of the driver’s information needs that could enhance SA and the specification of a DAT feedback metaphor (type of feedback and appropriate time for issuing warnings) that will support those needs without impairing driver attention. These constitute the requirements discovery phase. The third step in the process is the evaluation of the effect of a prospective DAT on traffic safety. This however, is a complex process and in most cases it’s only feasible once a prototype of the system is available. Developing a prototype however, is time consuming and expensive. An alternative is thus the development of a simulation model that will mimic the system’s functional and non-functional requirements. This enables testing of candidate system designs and the evaluation of their effect on human requirements prior to implementation. In this study we address the requirements discovery phase through experimental analysis of drivers’ needs that are expressed in terms of workload and SA.

Keywords: Driving Simulator, Requirements discovery, Driver assistive technology, Workload, Situation Awareness

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100753