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This study investigates the presentation of service logo information under partially automated driving. Drivers completed simulated drives with partial automation during which they had to detect target logo signs and react to hazards by taking over vehicle control when needed. Driver performance was measured in terms of sign detection rate, crash rate, and hazard response time. A number of factors, including sign information source, sign information load, and driver age group, were investigated. In general, our findings support the delivery of service logo information via in-vehicle display under partially automated driving, especially when the in-vehicle display occurred simultaneously with the on-road signage. Under this presentation condition, drivers were most accurate in detecting target logo signs, and showed little impairment from processing sign information as a secondary task when negotiating a hazard. Implications of the findings and future directions were discussed.

In-vehicle technologies for communicating information to drivers have realized increasing use in recent years. While most attention has been paid to in-vehicle displays for presenting safety-related information, such as warnings, few studies have explored communication of non-safety-related information with in-vehicle displays. This simulated driving study examined driver performance in vehicle control and sign identification, when processing service logo information from on-road signs or an in-vehicle display. Findings suggest that in-vehicle displays, on-road signage, or both allowed drivers to identify service logos with a high accuracy and a relatively low level of workload. The use of in-vehicle displays either alone or simultaneously with on-road signage produced lower speed deviations therefore better vehicle control. Age differences were observed in vehicle control as well, suggesting the need for personalization of sign messages according to individual characteristics. This study is an initial step to examine the use of in-vehicle displays for messaging service logos as an example of non-safety-related information. The study is ongoing, and findings could provide a basis for in-vehicle display and on-road sign design for non-safety-related information.

With advances in vehicle technologies, more information can be communicated in real-time to drivers via in-vehicle interfaces. In-vehicle messaging can be used for safety related information, such as warnings, as well as non-safety related information, such as upcoming gas stations. While much research has focused on the design of messaging safety-related information, little is known about the best practice for in-vehicle messaging non-safety-related information. The current study aimed to examine how drivers process service logos – as an example of non-safety-related information – and respond to road hazards when logos are presented on: (1) an on-road sign panel, (2) an in-vehicle display, or (3) a combination of both. It was found that drivers generally identified logos with high accuracy and low workload across the presentation conditions. Driver reactions to road hazards were slower when logos were present for processing, although the number of collisions did not increase. Although the majority of drivers self-reported a preference for the on-road presentation, the simultaneous presentation of logos on-road and in-vehicle showed a benefit on driver hazard negotiation (fewer collisions). Older drivers were less accurate in identifying logos but also had fewer collisions, likely due to them being more cautious and allocating more attention to the driving task. Findings of this study provide support for use of in-vehicle presentation of non-safety-related information in addition to existing on-road signage.

In early October 2016, Hurricane Matthew crossed North Carolina as a Category 1 storm, with some areas receiving 0.38–0.46 m (15–18 in.) of rainfall on already saturated soil. The NIST-fund...

The estimation of time intervals is crucial in the performance of any motoric task, such as hitting a baseball. The timing of the swing is arguably the most important part of the swing, but what if physiological arousal, due to the stress, of the moment alters the batter’s ability to estimate that short interval between the pitch and the swing? There have been a number of models developed to explain how the batter will perform the task, going as far back as the Yerkes-Dodson Law (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). The purpose of this study is to investigate how physiological arousal will affect an individual’s ability to estimate time intervals and the points where they will over and underestimate time. Participants were placed into a high physiological arousal group, by performing jumping jacks, a resting group (no jumping jacks). Participants were asked to perform a duration reproduction task, performing, or not performing, jumping jacks between each block. The results showed that the elevated physiological arousal in the jumping jack condition resulted in greater overestimation of the durations. These findings have implications for understanding failures in human performance during time sensitive scenarios and provide a basis for developing biofeedback training to help reduce these errors in duration estimation because of elevated physiological arousal.

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) are becoming more prevalent in civilian use, such as emergency response and public safety. As a result, UASs pose issues of remote perception for human users (Eyerman, 2013). The purpose of this experiment was to test the effects of combining aerial and ground perspectives on spatial judgments of object positions in an urban environment. Participants were shown randomly ordered image pairs of aerial and ground views of objects in a virtual city and were asked to make judgments about where a missing object was in the second image of the pair. Response times and error were collected with error being calculated using the Euclidean distance formula. The results were consistent with previous research and showed that congruent trials (aerial-aerial and ground-ground) resulted in less error and response time. It was also shown that there was a significant four-way interaction between stimulus image, response image, object density, and stimulus duration. The results of this study are intended to provide the basis for future work in understanding the underlying reasons behind spatial errors that might occur during use of UASs and lead to design implementations for interfaces to reduce these errors.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society has long worked with its student chapters to provide resources for students and professionals of all levels. However, differences in resources across universities mean that some students have little to no access to certain resources that other universities have available, such as faculty expertise, specialized research experience, and specific skill development workshops. As such, a growing number of student chapter leaders around the Southeastern U.S. have proposed to create the first regional student division of HFES, called Southeast HFES, or SEHFES. With support from the national organization and regional chapters, SEHFES will allow students to collaborate across universities and access previously unavailable resources. This interactive alternative format presentation will bring together student chapter leaders and audience members to discuss how SEHFES can develop and serve the southeast region for years to come.