A driver workload system for the cockpit of the future
Nicolas Raphäel Tinoco Almeida · Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) · 2018
The rise of new and disruptive technology-trends are revolutionizing all systems designed, developed and manufactured by our key industry domains. Those systems are day-by-day becoming more complex with the extend of their functionalities and their technological stack. The car is traditionally one of the most complex systems, and it owes this status due to the importance that it represents on modern societies and the delicate context in which it operates. Its technological evolution is changing the way they operate (e.g., Autonomous Driving) and how people interact with it (e.g., Smartphone connection to the vehicle). This paradigm shift has instigated the arising and development of convoluted Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), In-vehicle Information systems (IVIS) and interconnected services [1]. Those systems provide in-vehicle access to new information, allowing the improve of comfort and enhancing road safety. Furthermore, a great number of IVIS functions are featured on portable computing systems, referred as nomadic devices (e.g., mobile phones) that are not allowed to be used while driving due to the inducement of dangerous levels of driver workload [2, 3]. These trends increase the cockpit workload, which can instigate driver distraction and the decrement of driving performance, resulting in fatal road accidents [4, 5]. Is in this context that the Project "P689 - Cockpit of the Future: HMI Concepts and Functions" emerges, aiming to develop new concepts, solutions and forms of interaction that allow the driver workload reduction and avoid possible distractions, keeping the driver fully engaged in the primary driving task. The present thesis proposes to develop a solution that addresses part of the problem pointed out by the project (i.e., the Driver Workload). A system that assesses and manages the driver workload level by classifying it and proposing actions to be applied in the vehicle cockpit, based on the driving context. The overall system goal is to counteract abnormal workload levels, enabling the driver to focus on the essential and priority driving task.