Document Detail


Taking the load off: investigations of how adaptive cruise control affects mental workload.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15204276     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
It has been posited that Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) represents a new generation of vehicle automation, in that it has the potential to relieve drivers of mental as well as physical workload. The results of previous research however, have raised some confusing issues about the specific effects of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on driver mental workload (MWL)--some studies report reduced MWL compared to manual driving, while others find no effect. Two hypotheses are proposed in an attempt to explain these discrepancies: (a) that any potential MWL reductions due to ACC could be masked by the overriding influence of steering demand; or (b) that the tasks designed in some experiments do not exploit the adaptive nature of the ACC system, therefore precluding any potential benefits. Two related experiments were designed to test these hypotheses. It was found that the main reason for the discrepant findings was the nature of the driving task chosen--constant-speed tasks do not realise the mental workload benefits of ACC. Future researchers using ACC devices are advised to use variable-speed tasks to ensure that all aspects of device functionality are covered.
Authors:
Mark S Young; Neville A Stanton
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Ergonomics     Volume:  47     ISSN:  0014-0139     ISO Abbreviation:  Ergonomics     Publication Date:  2004 Jul 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-06-18     Completed Date:  2004-08-17     Revised Date:  2004-11-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0373220     Medline TA:  Ergonomics     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1014-35     Citation Subset:  IM; S    
Affiliation:
Department of Aviation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. m.young@unsw.edu.au
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Attention
Automation*
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Fatigue / prevention & control*
Motor Vehicles*
Task Performance and Analysis*
Workload*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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