On a Method for Generating a Word Pool for the Description of Steering Feel

Abstract

“If touching is not a single perception but a plural, then its objects are a plurality, too.” (Aristotle) For investigating steering feel, a very important part is how to measure what people feel. The hypothesis in the present research work is that steering feel, as perceived by human beings, can be allotted in dimensions. The steering feel of a certain vehicle can then be seen as a point in a space with multiple orthogonal dimensions. The aim is to find the dimensions that people use to perceive and describe steering feel, in order to define this non-instrumental space. This article describes two modes of evaluation, a manual mode anda mathematical mode using the statistical method of multidimensional scaling. Applying these modes, it has been possible to extract nine dimensions describing the steering feel of road vehicles.QC 20101220</p