Verification of a maneuver catalog for a maneuver-based vehicle guidance system

A quickly increasing number of advanced driver assistance systems are implemented in modern vehicles. Already today, this can lead to a mental overload of drivers, since every single system has its own control elements. In the future, innovative vehicle interaction concepts, with a global design philosophy, will be necessary. Conduct-by-Wire (CbW) is an approach to relieve drivers from stabilization tasks, as the vehicle will be controlled by assigning concrete elements, the maneuvers, which are executed automatically. This could possibly lead to a more cognitive way of driving, keeping the driver closer in the loop. The basic requirement for this concept is the development of a maneuver catalog from the driver´s point of view, in order to enable easy, even intuitive driving. Therefore, this paper describes how a driver would divide a specific track into single maneuvers, based upon an already existing catalog of commands. An innovative experimental concept is developed, consisting of a field and laboratory study, using the `thinking aloud´ method, an eye tracking and a decision point analysis.