Comprehension of vibrotactile route guidance cues

Abstract

Two experiments with 24 participants each evaluated comprehension of vibrotactile route guidance instructions via a tactile seat in a driving simulator. Vibrotactile patterns were presented from an array of 8 tactors arranged in two rows of 4 tactors located in the seat pan. A faster pulse rate and a slower pulse rate as well as four distinct locations on the tactile seat (Front-Left, Front-Right, Back-Left, Back-Right) created 8 different combinations of stimuli. Across all participants, the most consistent interpretation was that the faster pulse rate played from the back two tactors was perceived as an instruction to make the next most immediate turn while a slow pulse rate from the front two tactors was interpreted as a cue directing the user to the direction of the next eventual turn. Results have direct implications for design of effective vibrotactile and multimodal route guidance systems. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.