ABSTRACT
Augmented reality head-up display (AR HUD) is a new technology in assisted driving, which can add extra information to the driving environment in real-time to help the driver better perceive road situation. AR HUD can enhance driving safety but may also encourage inattentional blindness. Hence, this study aims to examine whether AR HUD-induces inattentional blindness and determine whether workload intensifies their relationship. In experiment 1, 60 participants were randomly assigned to three groups and watched three types of augmented reality (AR)-augmented driving videos, respectively. They were instructed to respond to any critical events, but only their responses to road-crossing pedestrians were recorded. Results show that AR HUD reduces inattentional blindness when pedestrians are augmented but encourages inattentional blindness when pedestrians are not augmented. In experiment 2, 20 participants viewed AR-augmented driving videos of high and low workloads. Pedestrians were not augmented in all videos. Result reveals that a high workload induces more inattentional blindness than low workload. The finding confirms that AR HUD induces inattentional blindness, and a high workload will intensify this relationship. The future design of the AR HUD assisted-driving system should consider the risk of inattentional blindness and come up with corresponding countermeasures.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
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Notes on contributors
Yuwei Wang
Yuwei Wang is a graduate student at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. Her research interests include traffic safety, user experience design, human–computer interaction.
Yimin Wu
Yimin Wu is an undergraduate student at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. His research interests include user experience and human–computer interaction.
Cheng Chen
Cheng Chen is a graduate student at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. Her research interests include augmented reality and human–computer interaction.
Bohan Wu
Bohan Wu is a graduate student at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. His research interests include user experience design and ergonomics.
Shu Ma
Shu Ma is a PhD researcher at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. Her research interests include human–computer interaction, traffic safety and automated driving.
Duming Wang
Duming Wang is an assistant professor at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci -Tech University. His research interests include human–computer interaction, human factors, and user experience.
Hongting Li
Hongting Li is a professor at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. His research interests include human–computer interaction, ergonomics, user experience, augmented reality and virtual reality.
Zhen Yang
ZhenYang is an assistant professor at the Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. His research interests include human computer interaction, human factors, user experience, cognitive science and neuroergonomics.