Investigating the Influence of External Car Displays on Pedestrians’ Crossing Behavior in Virtual Reality
PubDate: October 2019
Teams: LMU Munich；University of Lapland；Bundeswehr University；Eindhoven University of Technology
Writers: Kai Holländer；Ashley Colley；Christian Mai；Jonna Häkkilä；Florian Alt；Bastian Pfleging
Abstract
Focusing on pedestrian safety in the era of automated vehicles, we investigate the interaction between pedestrians and automated cars. In particular, we investigate the influence of external car displays (ECDs) on pedestrians’ crossing behavior, and the time needed to make a crossing decision. We present a study in a high-immersion VR environment comparing three alternative car-situated visualizations: a smiling grille, a traffic light style indicator, and a gesturing robotic driver. Crossing at non-designated crossing points on a straight road and at a junction, where vehicles turn towards the pedestrian, are explored. We report that ECDs significantly reduce pedestrians’ decision time, and argue that ECDs support comfort, trust and acceptance in automated vehicles. We believe ECDs might become a valuable addition for future vehicles.
