Investigating what level of visual information inspires trust in a user of a highly automated vehicle

The aim of this research is to investigate whether visual feedback alone can affect a driver’s trust in an autonomous vehicle, and in particular, what level of feedback (no feedback vs. moderate feedback vs. high feedback) will evoke the appropriate level of trust. Before conducting the experiment, the Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) were piloted with two sets of six participants (before and after iterations), to ensure the meaning of the displays can be understood by all. A static driving simulator experiment was conducted with a sample of 30 participants (between 18 and 55). Participants completed two pre-study questionnaires to evaluate previous driving experience, and attitude to trust in automation. During the study, participants completed a trust questionnaire after each simulated scenario to assess their trust level in the autonomous vehicle and HMI displays, and on intention to use and acceptance. The participants were shown 10 different driving scenarios that lasted approximately 2 minutes each. Results indicated that the ‘high visual feedback’ group recorded the highest trust ratings, with this difference significantly higher than for the ‘no visual feedback’ group (U = .000; p = <0.001 < α) and the ‘moderate visual feedback’ group (U = .000; p = <0.001 < α). There is an upward inclination of trust in all groups due to familiarity to both the interfaces and driving simulator over time. Participants’ trust level was also influenced by the driving scenario, with trust reducing in all displays during safety verses non-safety-critical situations

Perceptions of an automotive load space in a virtual environment

A study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of perceptions of a car load space in a CAVE virtual environment. A total of 46 participants rated load space width, height, depth, usability and overall capacity after viewing either a virtual Range Rover Evoque in the CAVE or the real car. Participants were also asked to estimate how many 100mm3 blocks could fit in the load space in width, depth or height. The only significant difference was in usability, which was rated higher in the CAVE. There was no systematic over- or under-estimation of distances in the virtual environment. Equivalence was demonstrated for width and depth in the block estimation task. The results suggest that virtual environments can be used for car load space design, particularly for estimates of size, but further work is required to be confident that subjective ratings of virtual properties are equivalent to those of real vehicles

The use of virtual reality and physical tools in the development and validation of ease of entry and exit in passenger vehicles

Ease of entry and exit is important for creating a positive first impression of a car and to increase customer satisfaction. Several methods are used within vehicle development to optimise ease of entry and exit, including CAD reviews, benchmarking and buck trials. However, there is an industry trend towards digital methods to reduce the costs and time associated with developing physical prototypes. This paper reports on a study of entry strategy in three properties (buck, car, CAVE) in which inconsistencies were demonstrated by people entering a vehicle representation in the CAVE. In a second study industry practitioners rated the CAVE as worse than physical methods for identifying entry and exit issues, and having lower perceived validity and reliability. However, the resource issues associated with building bucks were recognised. Recommendations are made for developing the CAVE and for combinations of methods for use at different stages of a vehicle’s development

Future directions for the development of Virtual Reality within an automotive manufacturer

Virtual Reality (VR) can reduce time and costs, and lead to increases in quality, in the development of a product. Given the pressure on car companies to reduce time-to-market and to continually improve quality, the automotive industry has championed the use of VR across a number of applications, including design, manufacturing, and training. This paper describes interviews with 11 engineers and employees of allied disciplines from an automotive manufacturer about their current physical and virtual properties and processes. The results guided a review of research findings and scientific advances from the academic literature, which formed the basis of recommendations for future developments of VR technologies and applications. These include: develop a greater range of virtual contexts; use multi-sensory simulation; address perceived differences between virtual and real cars; improve motion capture capabilities; implement networked 3D technology; and use VR for market research

A socio-cultural activity theory analysis of inter-agency working between educational psychologists and education welfare officers in relation to complex extended school non-attendance (CESN-A) with implications for improved service delivery

Successive governments have afforded high priority to improving school attendance (DfE, 2012). However, inter-agency collaboration to address non-attendance has been hindered by disparity in the literature and among practitioners regarding terminology, definitions, assessment and intervention practices (Kearney, 2008). The current research offers ‘Complex Extended School Non-Attendance’ (CESN-A) as a broader conceptualisation of the issue and seeks to explore and analyse inter-agency working between Educational Psychologists (EPs) and Education Welfare Officers (EWOs) regarding supporting pupils who experience CESN-A. The research adopts case study design and offers a contextualised account within one Local Authority (LA) that has embraced multi-agency working and where EPs and EWOs work together in multi-agency support teams (MASTs). Activity theory (Engeström, 1987) is employed as a theoretical framework and methodology for: examining the socio-cultural processes that mediate the current models of working; analysing and comparing EP and EWO activity systems; surfacing contradictions and proposing new ways of working. The research utilises semi-structured interviews and Developmental Work Research (DWR) to explore the professional learning required to improve inter-agency collaboration. The findings illustrate the multi-layered nature of inter-agency working. Suggested improvements include fostering shared understanding, clarifying role demarcations, establishing structures for collaborative problem-solving and building capacity in schools regarding both understanding the complexities of CESN-A and developing strategies which support attendance. Finally, the research illuminates the value of utilising socio-cultural activity theory as a tool for understanding, analysing and exploring practice and promoting professional learning to facilitate organisational change and ultimately improve service delivery