1. Chalmers University of Technology
Field Operational Tests –
From Data Collection to Analysis
With Focus on Distraction
Katja Kircher, Chalmers
Foto: Tedd Soost
2. Chalmers University of Technology
FOT – a Hot Topic
• In Sweden and Europe now many FOTs underway
• Netherlands: Roads to the Future (ACC &
LDW; 20 cars, 5 months, finished
2006???); LDWA FOT (35 trucks 1
coach, LDW)
• Sweden: ISA, TSS-FOT, SeMiFOT, (Distraction
Project)
• EU: euroFOT, TeleFOT
3. Chalmers University of Technology
In the US
• completed (examples)
– UMTRI (ACAS FOT, RDCW FOT)
– Volvo FOT, Drowsy Driver Warning System FOT
• ongoing (examples)
– IVBSS, CICAS-V, SafeTrip 21
– (naturalistic driving: 100 car; SHRPII)
4. Chalmers University of Technology
Evaluated Functions
comfort systems decreasing activity frequency
• ACC
activity
• ISA
• Lane Change/Merge
• LDW, CSW (RDCW)
criticality
• Drowsy Driver Warning
• FCW (IVBSS)
”event” warning systems increasing criticality
5. Chalmers University of Technology
Driver State
• So far not often a main factor in FOTs
(except Drowsy Driver Warning System
FOT, VTTI).
• However, FOT and naturalistic driving (ND)
data useful to answer driver state
questions (e. g. prevalence in different
situations)
6. Chalmers University of Technology
Driver State
• Intoxication
• Drowsiness
• Distraction
• Illness
• Stress and Foto: Tedd Soost
other ”mental
states”
7. Chalmers University of Technology
Driver State – Possible Questions
• prevalence during different situations/ events
• possible to warn before critical events occur?
• effect of warnings?
• general change of behaviour?
• long-term effects, e. g. system abuse
• validation of simulator/test track findings
8. Chalmers University of Technology
Driver State – FOT Difficulties
• not easy to log in real time
(necessary to give real time warnings/info)
• not even easy to log reliably at all
(e. g. stress, intoxication, …)
9. Chalmers University of Technology
FOT and Distraction
• Visual distraction accessible via eye
trackers (gaze direction), which by now are
mature enough for field use
• Distraction quite common in everyday
driving (reasonable FOT duration enough)
• Distraction difficult to ”provoke
naturally” somewhere else than
in field (FOT method of choice)
10. Chalmers University of Technology
FOT and Drowsiness
• Drowsiness accessible via eye
trackers (blink behaviour),
which by now are mature enough for field use
• Drowsiness not so common in everyday driving
(FOT duration? Special driver selection?)
• Drowsiness in field/natural environ-
ment qualitatively different than
”forced drowsiness” in simulators?
11. Chalmers University of Technology
FOT for Studies of Driver State
• + natural environment
• + long-term observation of behaviour
(adaptation)
• + prevalence data obtainable
• - not easy to collect data (sensors)
12. Chalmers University of Technology
General FOT issues
• ethical issues (integrity, data access)
• legal issues (filming, data access)
• logistics issues (data collection, upload,
back-up)
• analysis issues (retrieving
relevant info, data loss,
statistics)
