Using extended reality to ascertain mechanisms behind road accidents and derive safety policies:Focusing on extreme weather scenarios in northern Japan
Background and Objectives
Extended reality (also known as cross reality) is an umbrella term for virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, substitutional reality, and other technologies that integrate physical and virtual environments. Such technologies are increasingly used in traffic studies. The proposed project will focus on traffic scenarios that involve extreme weather or nighttime settings, and, as such, are difficult to recreate using conventional techniques. These scenarios will be analyzed to ascertain mechanisms that increase risky driver behavior and accident likelihood, to derive recommendations for traffic safety policies.
In the year ended March 2024, we used extended reality to guide and evaluate interventions for supporting drivers in two complex driving scenarios. The first scenario involved driving on an expressway in wintry conditions with poor visibility. The second scenario involved turning right at a typical Japanese intersection (Japan drives on the left), which requires the driver to cross a lane of oncoming traffic and then cross a crosswalk being used by pedestrians. In the year ending March 2025, we will build on the findings. Specifically, we will enhance the depth of the applicable environments and expand the range of test participants (to encompass elderly drivers).
In anticipation of rolling out the technology internationally, we will also recreate abnormal driving events and consider appropriate solutions.
Expected Results
We will review research on driver behavior in snowy or frozen conditions that frequently occur in northern regions of Japan to identify high-risk driver behavior during poor visibility scenarios (e.g., overlooking hazards when driving forward or turning across oncoming traffic, etc.) and derive recommendations for addressing such behavior. These recommendations will involve many technologies that will be displayed using extended reality. One example could be displaying overlooked hazards on an augmented-reality head-up display (AR-HUD). Another could involve a guideline for directing the driver’s gaze to lane markings on the road surface. Thereafter, we will evaluate the outcomes of these interventions. The project’s novelty lies in how it will use extended reality to recreate extreme-weather conditions and evaluate, within a short duration, measures for ensuring that the benefits are extended to other driver groups (e.g., elderly drivers, novice drivers, etc.). Extended reality can recreate the scenario of interest in a computer program. Therefore, it offers considerable flexibility regarding the geographic area to which the technology is to be applied. This simplifies an international rollout. The project outcomes will be used to establish driver support strategies for any kind of abnormal driving event anywhere in the world.