Lane-keeping assistive method based on the BS modification effect induced by weak electrical stimulus

摘要

A lane-keeping assistive method using a weak electrical stimulus to induce the body schema (BS) extension is presented and evaluated experimentally. The BS forms our peri-personal space and is quite significant for recognition of boundaries between our body and the external environment as well as the use of tools. In the brain of an expert driver, BS extension occurs so as to include the whole spatial volume of the vehicle body like own peri-personal space. This is helpful for safe driving as it enhances “feeling of car width.” In this study, a driving simulator system and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device were built for experiments to investigate a lane-keeping assistive method that relies on the BS extention. Three levels of electrical stimulus (AA: alert assistance, IA: implicit assistance, and NA: no assistance) and two types of view (seat view and roof view) were considered because imperceptible weak TENS current is desirable to reduce driver's stress and BS is strongly influenced by combination of visual and somatic senses. Experimental results from more than twenty participants show a significant difference in distributions of durations of lane departures (p <; .001) by ANOVA after normalization with the Box-Cox transformation. Additional analyses scrutinized individual effects among drivers confirming that the the effectiveness of the assistive method was positive overall but was more effective for drivers of certain original skill levels.