'Haptic glasses' could make car navigation safer, less distracting

Human factors/ergonomics researchers have developed an alternative navigation system that uses haptic (touch) communication instead of voice that, along with a visual display, shows promise to address the overload issue. In their study, published in the Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 59th Annual Meeting, the authors modified smart-glasses, a wearable navigational device, to test the viability of haptic navigational guidance.

Joseph Szczerba and Roy Mathieu from General Motors Global R&D, and Roger Hersberger from RLH Systems LLC, removed the lenses in the smart-glasses and added vibrating technology. The vibrations indicate which direction a driver should take, and when. The team paired the prototype with a visual display and tested the system on a group of experienced drivers.

Using a driving simulator, each participant drove three city routes using a visual-only, visual-plus-auditory, and visual-plus-haptic navigation system. Szczerba et al. found that effort, mental workload, and overall workload were lowest with the haptic smart-glasses prototype. Drivers didn't have to listen for voice instructions or take their eyes off the road to look at a visual display. Drivers also preferred the haptic system because it didn't distract from conversation or audio entertainment.

The results indicate that smart-glasses paired with a visual display may be a viable navigational option, giving drivers accurate directional assistance with less effort.