Attentive User Interfaces to Improve Multitasking and Take-Over Performance in Automated Driving: The Auto-Net of Things

Automated vehicles promise engagement in side activities, but demand drivers to resume vehicle control in Take-Over situations. This pattern of alternating tasks thus becomes an issue of sequential multitasking, and it is evident that random interruptions result in a performance drop and are further a source of stress/anxiety. To counteract such drawbacks, this article presents an attention-aware architecture for the integration of consumer devices in level-3/4 vehicles and traffic systems. The proposed solution can increase the lead time for transitions, which is useful to determine suitable timings (e.g., between tasks/subtasks) for interruptions in vehicles. Further, it allows responding to Take-Over-Requests directly on handheld devices in emergencies. Different aspects of the Attentive User Interface (AUI) concept were evaluated in two driving simulator studies. Results, mainly based on Take-Over performance and physiological measurements, confirm the positive effect of AUIs on safety and comfort. Consequently, AUIs should be implemented in future automated vehicles.