Automosphere: Exploring Vehicle Heads-Up Display with Weather-Related Windshield Cues for Passive Fatigue Management

Passive fatigue can cause accidents with automated and regular vehicles. A proof-of-concept prototype [made with light-emitting diode (LED) matrices and white LED (WLED)] and a preliminary comparative usability test (N = 7) are used to study whether the active manipulation of simulated weather cues can be a potential countermeasure to passive fatigue. Participants rated system suitability, system impression, and their fatigue level similarly when they viewed a weather windshield heads-up display (HUD) versus a speedometer windshield HUD [no significant differences found and relatively small 95% confidence interval (CI) ranges around 0]. Qualitative analysis of interviews found that participants saw the potential value of the weather display and that display placement, dynamic graphics, and user activation were commonly mentioned themes. These results suggest the concept is theoretically possible, though further work is needed to prove the concept in practice.