Can Augmented Reality Help Pedestrians Safely Cross Multiple Lanes of Traffic?

Assistive technology offers a potential means of improving road safety for pedestrians. One type of assistive technology is the use of augmented reality (AR) displays to convey relevant traffic information to pedestrians. AR displays can overlay graphics on the roadway to visually indicate which gaps between vehicles are safe and unsafe to cross. The aim of this project is to evaluate whether AR displays that offer road-crossing guidance about crossable vs. uncrossable gaps will help pedestrians make safer crossing decisions when crossing two lanes of opposing traffic. Crossing multiple lanes of opposing cross-traffic is a considerably more challenging task than crossing a single lane, due to the fact that the pedestrian must select a pair of gaps composed of a near lane gap and a far lane gap that in combination afford safe crossing. Participants in this study will perform a road-crossing task in a head-mounted virtual reality system in which they repeatedly cross two streams of continuous stream of traffic coming from opposing directions comprised of crossable and uncrossable gaps. AR technology will be implemented by placing visual overlays directly onto the virtual environment that inform pedestrians about whether a pair of gaps in the near and far lane are safe or unsafe to cross. Such overlays could be displayed by AR glasses in the real world. The research team expects that pedestrians will comply with the overlays and will choose safer pairs of gaps to cross when AR overlays are displayed.

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Active
  • Funding: $80007
  • Contract Numbers:

    69A3551747131

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

    University Transportation Centers Program
    Department of Transportation
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Managing Organizations:

    University of Iowa, Iowa City

    National Advanced Driving Simulator, 2401 Oakdale Blvd
    Iowa City, IA  United States  52242-5003
  • Performing Organizations:

    University of Iowa

    MacLean Hall
    Iowa City, Iowa  United States  52240
  • Principal Investigators:

    Plumert, Jodie

    Kearney, Joseph

    Rector, Kyle

  • Start Date: 20220601
  • Expected Completion Date: 20240630
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01847441
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Safety Research Using Simulation University Transportation Center (SaferSim)
  • Contract Numbers: 69A3551747131
  • Files: UTC, RIP
  • Created Date: May 27 2022 11:19AM