Powered two wheelers' workload assessment with various methods using a motorcycle simulator

Abstract

A riding simulator study (n = 14) was conducted in order to test the sensitivity of performance measures, subjective ratings as well as physiological measures in controlled variations of rider workload. In a second study (n = 15), these parameters were used in order to assess the effects of different secondary tasks. The task of operating an on-bike information system led to the highest workload, for example, indicated by deteriorated lane keeping and higher subjective ratings compared with a simple visual, an auditory and no secondary task at all. The third study (n = 18) focused on the effects of eyes-off road while riding using the method of occlusion. This revealed that the participants felt safe to black out the scenery quite often and long. Periods of occlusion were related to a higher mean velocity and a tendency to ride more on the left side of the lane compared with riding with enabled projection.