The relationship between pupil diameter changes and perception of signs in a driver simulator environment

• Grant number: 22/02296-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: June 30, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Transportation Engineering - Transportation Planning
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Camargo Larocca
• Grantee: João Victor Mazza Pereira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of driving simulators is something increasingly common in the study of transport engineering. This use is justified by the possibility of simulating real traffic situations, testing solutions, and studying the driver, that is, studying their reactions and perceptions on the stretch under study, all without presenting any risk to those involved or to the road infrastructure. The objective of this project is to use a gaze tracking system to analyze and compare the pupil dilation of voluntary drivers, which indicates the driver's concentration level towards the traffic signs present in the studied section and is also considered to be a valid indicator of mental workload. For this, a 10 km stretch of a Brazilian highway will be studied and developed in the driver simulator. With this it will be possible to test different scenarios with different types and dispositions of traffic signals and, from the analysis of the driver's pupil diameter, to conclude which type of signaling is more effective considering the mental workload and velocity, that is, which scenario managed to keep the driver more focused on road environment. A contribution that will be possible with the results of the research is the updating of parameters of road signaling manuals used in Brazil that are outdated.(AU)