Improving car passengers' comfort and experience by supporting the use of handheld devices

BACKGROUND: There is a demand for interiors to support other activities in a car than controlling the vehicle. Currently, this is the case for the car passengers and – in the future – autonomous driving cars will also facilitate drivers to perform other activities. One of these activities is working with handheld devices. OBJECTIVE: Previous research shows that people experience problems when using handheld devices in a moving vehicle and the use of handheld devices generally causes unwanted neck flexion [Young et al. 2012; Sin and Zu 2011; Gold et al. 2011]. In this study, armrests are designed to support the arms when using handheld devices in a driving car in order to decrease neck flexion. METHODS: Neck flexion was measured by attaching markers on the C7 and tragus. Discomfort was indicated on a body map on a scale 1–10. User experience was evaluated in a semi-structured interview. RESULTS: Neck flexion is significantly decreased by the support of the armrests and approaches a neutral position. Furthermore, overall comfort and comfort in the neck region specifically are significantly increased. Subjects appreciate the body posture facilitated by the armrests and 9 out of 10 prefer using handheld devices with the armrests compared to using handheld devices without the armrests. CONLUSION: More efforts are needed to develop the mock-up into an established product, but the angles and dimensions presented in this study could serve as guidelines