Investigation of the Advanced Rider-Assistance System of a Personal Electric Vehicle Using Personal Space

Abstract

Recently, personal mobility vehicles for individual use have attracted tremendous attention as ecofriendly transportation for short-distance trips in urban areas. In this paper, we investigate the advanced riderassistance system of a four-wheeled personal electric vehicle that supports the rider in recognizing the psychological strain of surrounding pedestrians using the concept of personal space. The proposed system detects nearby pedestrians using range sensors, informs the rider about the invasion of the vehicle via a micro-vibration motor, and cooperates with the rider in avoiding the pedestrian. The experiment was conducted under different conditions of pedestrian densities, and questionnaires were used to evaluate participants' feelings such as discomfort and fear. The findings revealed that the effectiveness of the proposed assistance system was confirmed.