Looking ahead: Anticipatory interfaces for driver-automation collaboration

Partially automated driving systems that require driver supervision and intervention need to keep the driver in the loop and help maintain their situation awareness of the vehicle's current state and future plans. In this paper, we introduce the idea of an “Anticipatory Control Interface” — an interface that informs the driver of the lateral trajectory plan of the automated driving system. Our first prototype performs this task by actuating the steering wheel (physical) in advance of road wheel movement. A second prototype uses LEDs on a steering wheel cover to create a virtual steering wheel (visual) that can move in advance while keeping the steering wheel locked to the road wheel. We report an evaluation of the Anticipatory Control Interface prototypes based on their ability to support driver recognition and response to automation failures, compared to a control condition. Results show faster disengagement of automation and subsequently better takeover quality on failure with the physical anticipatory interface compared to the control.