Impacts of Attention Level on Manual Take-Over Performance in Automatic Driving on High-Speed Railways

Abstract

At the present early stage of application, automatic train driving systems still require constant supervision by the driver, and the continuous attention level of the driver is very important. This study investigated the changes in drivers’ concentration’ levels during the automatic driving of a high-speed EMU (electric multiple units) train, as well as the influence of their attention on take-over performance when necessary. It was found that the degree of concentration decreased over time, with the inattention degree ranging from 20% to 57%. Attention was weakly correlated to the take-over time and strongly correlated to the stable running time. When drivers inattention degree was controlled between 20% and 33%, their response speed to a take-over request might be improved, but inattention would affect their judgment of braking power after a take-over. When the inattention degree was over 33%, all take-over performances became worse.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number: 52175253], the Ministry of Education of Humanities and Social Sciences Project [grant number: 19YJA760094], and the practice base project in the graduate school of Southwest Jiaotong University.

Notes on contributors

Yang Du

Yang Du is the Industrial Design and Engineering at Southwest Jiaotong University. Her research interest includes cognitive systems engineering, and multimodal user interface design.

Jin-yi Zhi

Jin-yi Zhi is the professor and executive dean. School of Design, Southwest Jiaotong University. Deputy Director of the Human-Machine Environment System Design Institute. Her research interest includes transportation equipment human factors engineering, and design culture and aesthetics.