Evaluation of driver steering performance with haptic guidance under passive fatigued situation

Haptic steering technology has been developed to support drivers for more accurate and reliable vehicular control. This paper investigates the evaluation of steering performance when a haptic guidance steering system is implemented for passive fatigued drivers. The haptic system continuously produces torque on the steering wheel to inform drivers about the lateral lane deviations; consequently, drivers are aware of the active torque and then contribute to the steering task by interacting with the system. An experiment with 12 participants was conducted in a high-fidelity driving simulator. In a within-subject counterbalanced design, one session included implement of haptic system and the other excluded haptic system. A monotonous long-period driving course was designed to induce drivers' passive fatigue. Electromyography signals of the brachioradialis muscles were measured to examine grip strength of a driver holding a steering wheel. Results show that the risk of lane departure was significantly reduced when the haptic system was activated. In addition, grip strength of the drivers decreased when cooperating with the haptic system.