Design & 3D placement of information & warning sounds for improved safety & comfort
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Volvo Personvagnar Aktiebolag - Avd 94751, HMI Attributes & Concept |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 7 028 000 |
| Project duration | April 2012 - July 2016 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Traffic safety and automated vehicles -FFI |
| Call | 2011-04447-en |
| End-of-project report | 2011-04459sv.pdf(pdf, 324 kB) (In Swedish) |
Important results from the project
To decrease the mental workload on a driver information can be given as a combination of visual, auditory and haptic signals. The main aim of this project has been to study what effect the design of warning sounds and special placement of sounds has on the driving task, the efficiency of warning and support systems and the ability to conduct secondary tasks. The studies have shown that special placement of sounds has an effect on safety, driving performance and secondary task performance. Methods and strategies for the design of driver support and customer satisfaction has been developed.
Expected long term effects
The studies have confirmed that the placement of sounds has an effect on the driving task, since the sounds brings the attention to its direction. There are benefits of using supporting sounds in combination with vibrations, since the visual signal can be missed. Methods and strategies for designing effective and satisfactory warning, support and information sounds is also a main contribution from this project.
Approach and implementation
This project includes controlled experimental studies conducted in lab, car simulator and real car. In addition, car customers on different markets have been interviewed. It would be interesting to further study the effects of 3D sounds in a real driving context.