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Abstract
To minimise lap times during car racing, it is important to build up brake forces rapidly and maintain precise control. We examined the effect of the amplification factor (gain) between brake pedal force and a visually represented output value on a driver's ability to track a target value. The test setup was a formula racing car cockpit fitted with an isometric brake pedal. Thirteen racing drivers performed tracking tasks with four control-display gains and two target functions: a step function (35 trials per gain) and a multisine function (15 trials per gain). The control-display gain had only minor effects on root mean-squared error between output value and target value, but it had large effects on build-up speed, overshoot, within-participants variability, and self-reported physical load. The results confirm the hypothesis that choosing an optimum gain involves balancing stability against physical effort.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank H. Boschloo, S. Burger, M. de Graaf, P. Overkamp, D. Roest, A.W. Harmsen, A.C. Kot, S. Maljaars, and C.A. van Westebrugge for their contributions in programming and acting as experimenters in the tests and pilot tests. The research of Joost de Winter is supported by the Dutch Technology Foundation (Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen, STW), the Applied Science Division of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, NWO) and the Technology Program of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.