The potential of napping in automated driving and user preferences for wake-up concepts – an online-study

In automated driving, drivers may sleep during rides, making it important to study napping preferences and wake-up scenarios for human-centered system design. We conducted an online study with 280 participants, balanced by age and gender, examin-ing how often, when, and how long individuals would nap if given the opportunity. The study also explored preferred wake-up methods when the vehicle nears the end of its operational design domain. Using a mixed 2x2 design, participants were assigned to one of two travel purposes (“commuting” vs. “holiday trip”) and two minimal risk condi-tions (rest area vs. hard shoulder). Results showed that 40% intended to sleep during automated driving, highlighting strong interest in in-car sleeping. Wake-up preferences varied by travel purpose and minimal risk condition, with many favoring awakening before the drive ended. Participants also anticipated sleep inertia and desired post-wake-up support. The findings allow suggestions for designing wake-up concepts that mitigate sleep inertia. This study was conducted by WIVW and AUDI within the project SALSA (for more information see https://projekt-salsa.de/) which receives funding from the German Federal Min-istry for Economic Affairs and Energy (funding numbers: 19A24002H and 19A24002B). The sole responsibility of this publication lies within the authors. unknown