Supplementary data for the paper 'Get out of the way! Examining eHMIs in critical driver-pedestrian encounters in a coupled simulator'

Past research suggests that displays on the exterior of the car, known as eHMIs, can be effective in helping pedestrians to make safe crossing decisions. This study examines a new application of eHMIs, namely the provision of directional information in scenarios where the pedestrian is almost hit by a car. In an experiment using a head-mounted display and a motion suit, participants had to cross the road while a car driven by another participant approached them. The results showed that the directional eHMI caused pedestrians to step back compared to no eHMI. The eHMI increased the pedestrians’ self-reported understanding of the car’s intention, although some pedestrians did not notice the eHMI. In conclusion, there may be potential for supporting pedestrians in situations where they need support the most, namely critical encounters. Future research may consider coupling a directional eHMI to autonomous emergency steering.

过往研究表明，安装于车辆外部的人机交互界面（"external Human-Machine Interface"，下文简称eHMI）可有效辅助行人做出安全的过街决策。本研究针对eHMI的全新应用场景展开探究，即当行人险些遭遇车辆碰撞时，向其提供车辆行驶方向相关信息。本实验采用头戴式显示器与体感动作服，招募参与者完成过街任务，同时由另一名参与者操控的车辆会向其驶来。实验结果显示，相较于未设置eHMI的对照组，搭载方向提示功能的eHMI会促使行人做出后撤避险动作。尽管部分行人未察觉到eHMI的存在，但该装置可提升行人自我报告的对车辆行驶意图的理解程度。综上，在行人最需要辅助的临界碰撞场景中，eHMI具备辅助行人的应用潜力。未来研究可考虑将方向提示型eHMI与车辆自动紧急转向系统进行耦合适配。