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Walker, Bruce N.

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
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Auditory and Head-Up Displays for Eco-Driving Interfaces

2017-06 , Shortridge, Woodbury , Gable, Thomas M. , Noah, Brittany E. , Walker, Bruce N.

Eco-driving describes a strategy for operating a vehicle in a fuel-efficient manner. Current research shows that visual ecodriving interfaces can reduce fuel consumption by shaping motorists’ driving behavior but may hinder safe driving performance. The present study aimed to generate insights and direction for design iterations of auditory eco-driving displays and a potential matching head-up visual display to minimize the negative effects of using purely visual headdown eco-driving displays. Experiment 1 used a sound cardsorting task to establish mapping, scaling, and polarity of acoustic parameters for auditory eco-driving interfaces. Surveys following each sorting task determined preferences for the auditory display types. Experiment 2 was a sorting task to investigate design parameters of visual icons that are to be paired with these auditory displays. Surveys following each task revealed preferences for the displays. The results facilitated the design of intuitive interface prototypes for an auditory and matching head-up eco-driving display that can be compared to each other.

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Georgia Tech Psychology STING Telemetry Data Module For MiniSim

2015-08-27 , Gable, Thomas M. , Walker, Bruce N. , Rajendra, Bhargav

As in-vehicle technologies become more integrated into the vehicle, researchers must have real-time vehicle data available to them to investigate new technologies. In driving simulation settings, it can often be difficult to get this information. In an effort to gather real-time data from the National Advanced Driving Simulator MiniSim we have developed the Simulator Telemetry INteGration (STING) module to pull any data the MiniSim would normally output to its data acquisition files, and make those data available for use within other programs. The module is fairly simple to integrate into a MiniSim as it is purely software based. This document was written as a guide for those who are interested in using the STING software, to inform them of what STING can do, inform users of how the system works, and then linking them to the software download. Please refer to the included software license. If you use the system for studies please simply cite this tech report.

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Prototype Auditory Displays for a Fuel Efficiency Driver Interface

2014-06 , Nees, Michael A. , Gable, Thomas M. , Jeon, Myounghoon , Walker, Bruce N.

We describe work-in-progress prototypes of auditory displays for fuel efficiency driver interfaces (FEDIs). Although research has established that feedback from FEDIs can have a positive impact on driver behaviors associated with fuel economy, the impact of FEDIs on driver distraction has not been established. Visual displays may be problematic for providing this feedback; it is precisely during fuel-consuming behaviors that drivers should not divert attention away from the driving task. Auditory displays offer a viable alternative to visual displays for communicating information about fuel economy to the driver without introducing visual distraction.

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Spindex and Spearcons in Mandarin: Auditory Menu Enhancements Successful in a Tonal Language

2017-06 , Gable, Thomas M. , Tomlinson, Brianna , Cantrell, Stanley , Walker, Bruce N.

Auditory displays have been used extensively to enhance visual menus across diverse settings for various reasons. While standard auditory displays can be effective and help users across these settings, standard auditory displays often consist of text to speech cues, which can be time intensive to use. Advanced auditory cues including spindex and spearcon cues have been developed to help address this slow feedback issue. While these cues are most often used in English, they have also been applied to other languages, but research on using them in tonal languages, which may affect the ability to use them, is lacking. The current research investigated the use of spindex and spearcon cues in Mandarin, to determine their effectiveness in a tonal language. The results suggest that the cues can be effectively applied and used in a tonal language by untrained novices. This opens the door to future use of the cues in languages that reach a large portion of the world’s population.

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Georgia Tech Psychology Head Up Display Designer For MiniSim

2015-08-27 , Gable, Thomas M. , Walker, Bruce N. , Rajendra, Bhargav , He, Fang

As in-vehicle systems use head up displays (HUDs) more often, researchers need to be able to investigate the correct way of displaying information on these interfaces. In order to do this, researchers need easily modifiable head up display interfaces to test against each other, something most easily done digitally in a simulated environment. In an effort to allow for this we have developed a HUD designer that allows data to put input to the system and then used to display any created HUD onto either MiniSim visuals directly or a secondary HUD display. This document was written as a guide for those who are interested in using the Georgia Tech HUD Designer software to inform them of what it requires, inform users of what the system is doing, and then linking them to the software to use to make the connections discussed. Please refer to the included software license. If you use the system for studies please simply cite this tech report.

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Georgia Tech Simulator Sickness Screening Protocol

2013-10-21 , Gable, Thomas M. , Walker, Bruce N.

As part of our ongoing driving research, the GT Sonification Lab has adapted and evolved a driving simulator sickness screening protocol that is quick, efficient, effective, and easy to administer. There is a paper-and-pencil version, and also an electronic version of the survey; and a procedure that involves: (1) a baseline survey, (2) a brief drive in the simulator, and (3) a post-drive survey. We have found that symptoms or discomfort become evident very quickly, and this procedure captures those participants effectively. Technical Report in PDF format describes the procedure and the protocol that we have completed. The ZIP archive contains all of the resources, including the NADS MiniSIM simulator files, and the screening protocol files. The Tech Report is also included in the ZIP archive. This download includes version 1.1 of the Java screening software, released Feb 2014, which includes a small bug fix, correcting the numeric calculation of sickness scores.

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Introducing Multimodal Sliding Index: Qualitative Feedback, Perceived Workload, and Driving Performance with an Auditory Enhanced Menu Navigation Method

2017-06 , Sardesai, Ruta R. , Gable, Thomas M. , Walker, Bruce N.

Using auditory menus on a mobile device has been studied in depth with standard flicking, as well as wheeling and tapping interactions. Here, we introduce and evaluate a new type of interaction with auditory menus, intended to speed up movement through a list. This multimodal “sliding index” was compared to use of the standard flicking interaction on a phone, while the user was also engaged in a driving task. The sliding index was found to require less mental workload than flicking. What’s more, the way participants used the sliding index technique modulated their preferences, including their reactions to the presence of audio cues. Follow-on work should study how sliding index use evolves with practice.

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Georgia Tech Psychology MiniSim Driving Simulator Training Manual

2015-05-05 , Winton, Riley W. , Gable, Thomas M. , Walker, Bruce N.

This training document seeks to train users in the operation of the MiniSim National Advanced Driving Simulator owned by the Georgia Tech Department of Psychology. The simulator is located in B72 of the J.S. Coon Psychology Building at Georgia Tech. Additional training information can be found from the system developer’s website: http://www.nads-sc.uiowa.edu/sim_minisim.php

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A sonification of Kepler space telescope star data

2012-06 , Winton, Riley J. , Gable, Thomas M. , Schuett, Jonathan , Walker, Bruce N.

A performing artist group interested in including a sonification of star data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope in their next album release approached the Georgia Tech Sonification Lab for assistance in the process. The artists had few constraints for the authors other than wanting the end product to be true to the data, and a musically appealing “heavenly” sound. Several sonifications of the data were created using various techniques, each resulting in a different sounding representation of the Kepler data. The details of this process are discussed in this poster. Ultimately, the researchers were able to produce the desired sounds via sound synthesis, and the artists plan to incorporate them into their next album release.