Operating machinery while distracted is a dangerous behavior, often habitual, which is the source of accidents. Distracted driving in particular has assumed the form of an epidemic, fueled by the ubiquity of smartphone usage and the tendency to slip into absent-mindedness in tedious commutes. Here we show that a method capable of detecting and communicating overarousal trends associated with the onset of distractions, can pull the driver out of a downward psychophysiological spiral. The method is reliable, unobtrusive, and subtle in its intervention. Arousal estimation is performed by a conservative statistical filter acting upon the driver's perinasal perspiration signal, as this is continuously extracted from a thermal imaging feed. Overarousal notices are communicated via a visual indicator placed in the driver's peripheral vision. Using this method, we conducted a parallel group experiment, where a control $CL (n=23)$ and a biofeedback $BF (n=24)$ cohort were distracted mentally and physically while driving, with only the biofeedback group receiving the benefit of overarousal notification. Results show that heeding biofeedback notices, cuts dramatically the time BF subjects are engaged in distractions with respect to the control group, significantly reducing their arousal levels and improving their driving behaviors in the context of a typical commute.
Biofeedback arrests sympathetic and behavioral effects in distracted driving
Tsiamyrtzis P.
2018-01-01
Abstract
Operating machinery while distracted is a dangerous behavior, often habitual, which is the source of accidents. Distracted driving in particular has assumed the form of an epidemic, fueled by the ubiquity of smartphone usage and the tendency to slip into absent-mindedness in tedious commutes. Here we show that a method capable of detecting and communicating overarousal trends associated with the onset of distractions, can pull the driver out of a downward psychophysiological spiral. The method is reliable, unobtrusive, and subtle in its intervention. Arousal estimation is performed by a conservative statistical filter acting upon the driver's perinasal perspiration signal, as this is continuously extracted from a thermal imaging feed. Overarousal notices are communicated via a visual indicator placed in the driver's peripheral vision. Using this method, we conducted a parallel group experiment, where a control $CL (n=23)$ and a biofeedback $BF (n=24)$ cohort were distracted mentally and physically while driving, with only the biofeedback group receiving the benefit of overarousal notification. Results show that heeding biofeedback notices, cuts dramatically the time BF subjects are engaged in distractions with respect to the control group, significantly reducing their arousal levels and improving their driving behaviors in the context of a typical commute.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
---|---|---|---|
Biofeedback-arrests-sympathetic-and-behavioral-effects-in-distracted-drivingIEEE-Transactions-on-Affective-Computing.pdf
Accesso riservato
:
Publisher’s version
Dimensione
16.16 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
16.16 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
Biofeedback-arrests-sympathetic-and-behavioral-effects-in-distracted-drivingIEEE-Transactions-on-Affective-Computing_compressed.pdf
accesso aperto
:
Publisher’s version
Dimensione
2.57 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
2.57 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.