Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications

IVAT (In-Vehicle Assistive Technology):
Multimodal Design Issues for TBI Drivers
ABSTRACT
Individuals who have survived a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can
experience a variety of sequelae that may limit their ability to
drive. Despite great safety risks, the majority of individuals who
return to driving following a TBI do so without ever undergoing
formal evaluation [1]. Assistive technology can be leveraged in
the context of driving to facilitate autonomy for this population.
Multisensory integration is known to have facilitatory capabilities
at the neural, cognitive, and behavioral levels. We have the
opportunity to address the needs of this user group by utilizing invehicle
multimodal interfaces. The aim of our in-vehicle assistive
technology (IVAT) project is to increase driver safety by first
considering individual abilities and limitations and then tailoring
support to meet those specific needs. We have developed an initial
iteration of such a system through a user-centered design process
with both rehabilitative driving evaluators and drivers with TBI.
Our goal is to enable individuals to overcome limitations and
regain some independence by driving after injury. The purpose of
the current paper is to outline the findings from our needs
assessment for this population of drivers and highlight the critical
concepts drawn from multimodal perception theory that could be
integrated into addressing the needs of these drivers.
Categories and Subject Descriptors
J.4 [Computer Applications]: Social and Behavioral Sciences –
Psychology.
General Terms
Performance, Design, Human Factors
Keywords
Driving, Cognitive Limitations, TBI, Assistive Technology,
Human Factors
1. INTRODUCTION
Millions of people incur, and then strive to recover from,
traumatic brain injuries (TBI) each year. Following extensive
rehabilitation, they are often able to reintegrate into daily life. The
ability to drive a car unsupervised is often a critical factor in
regaining independence [2]. Unfortunately, many TBI survivors
(and indeed people with various disabilities) have residual
perceptual, cognitive, motor, or affect-control deficits that impact
their ability to drive, among other activities. Much of what is
understood about normal perception during driving has been
Copyright held by author(s)
AutomotiveUI'11, November 29-December 2, 2011, Salzburg, Austria
Adjunct Proceedings
Julia DeBlasio Olsheski, Bruce N. Walker
Sonification Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30308
+1-404-894-8265
julia@gatech.edu, bruce.walker@psych.gatech.edu
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derived from unimodal studies, as these were traditionally the
focus within perception research. Though unimodal literature has
contributed greatly to our understanding, its overemphasis has left
critical gaps in perceptual theory [3]. Interactions within the
driving environment are almost never truly unimodal. Though the
sensory channels are differentiated, the experience is not of a
fragmented collection of sensations, but rather an integrated
concept of the external world. Sensory information from multiple
modalities must be integrated online despite vast differences in
initial cognitive encoding [3]. Audiovisual integration research
has direct implications for modern display design and can be
particularly useful in the context of driving, a task that heavily
taxes the visual modality.
The IVAT (In-Vehicle Assistive Technology) system is a
framework for developing a range of multimodal assistive
applications, each tuned to the particular needs of the individual.
The IVAT research team is particularly well suited for tackling
issues with driving after TBI. The Shepherd Center, a private, notfor-profit
hospital specializing in research and rehabilitation for
people with spinal cord and brain injury, is recognized as one of
the U.S.’s leading rehabilitation centers. The Sonification
Laboratory at Georgia Tech focuses on the development and
evaluation of auditory and multimodal interfaces, paying
particular attention to Human Factors in the display of
information in complex task environments. The Georgia Tech
School of Psychology’s Driving Simulator Facility houses a
National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) MiniSim featuring
full field-of-view immersive environments (see Figure 1). In the
current research, an in-vehicle PC is utilized with Centrafuse
Application Integration Framework software that merges
connected car technology and IVAT within a multimodal in-dash
touch screen interface. IVAT utilizes positive reinforcement to
promote skills and behaviors known to increase driver safety.
Figure 1. IVAT in-dash display