Safety, Efficiency, and Mental Workload of Predictive Display in Simulated Teledriving

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Autonomous Systems
• Traffic Safety

Background:

• Remote vehicle operation is growing in urban areas.
• Communication time delays challenge teleoperator safety and efficiency.
• Investigating solutions for moderate network delays is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if Predictive Displays (PDs) enhance performance, safety, and mental workload.
• To evaluate PD effectiveness under typical 4G/5G network time delays (150 ms).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-nine participants drove a simulated urban route with varying delays (50 ms baseline, 150 ms with/without PDs).
• Performance metrics included crashes, errors, completion time, and control inputs (braking/steering).
• Mental workload and usability were assessed via self-reports.

Main Results:

• A 150 ms time delay did not significantly worsen performance or increase workload compared to the 50 ms baseline.
• Predictive Displays (PDs) showed no significant improvement in performance or reduction in workload.
• Participants exhibited tolerance to typical 4G/5G network delays.

Conclusions:

• Current 4G/5G network time delays pose minimal risk to remote driving performance and safety.
• Predictive Displays are not essential for mitigating these moderate delays.
• Further research may explore scenarios with more severe time delays.