Tactile acoustic devices: The effect on drowsiness during prolonged attentional tasks

Abstract

A study is presented, exploring the use of a tactile acoustic device (TAD); which presents full spectrum sound to participants through skin contact, to help increase alertness and reduce tiredness due to boredom during prolonged attentional tasks such as driving long distances. After a literature review on the background to sleepiness, an account is given of a pilot experiment looking at the effectiveness of the Tactile Audio Stimulation on wakefulness in a non-driving scenario. This was conducted, using a Stroop test to simulate the attention demands during long, boring task periods. The test results suggest that a TAD could potentially reduce fatigue during prolonged attentional tasks without compromising performance or increasing distraction. Results revealed that participants reported feeling significantly more alert and had higher KSS ratings after TAD condition then they did following the Music or Control conditions. The next stage experiments will proceed to a driving task with secondary distraction.