1. © MIT AgeLab 2009 Technology Makes Things Easier Bryan Reimer MIT AgeLab & New England University Transportation Center Edmunds’ Safety Conference: Truly Safe? Washington, DC May 24 th, 2011

2. © MIT AgeLab 2009 Fundamental Relationship between Workload & Performance Workload / Stress Performance Active Distraction Optimal Range Inattention Fatigue Overload Yerkes-Dodson Law The relationship between performance and physiological or mental arousal

3. © MIT AgeLab 2009

4. Visual Distraction Is Obvious ≠ Eyes on roadMind on road Cognitive Demand Harder to “See”

5. © MIT AgeLab 2009 Leaving the Consumer Behind Driving is an extreme environment - Intuitiveness is critical Balance – needs of novice users vs. desires of lead adopters Designs that vary from previous experiences or provide little connection to experiences can be difficult to learn and may compromise safety Successful designs build on users’ existing experience (mental models)

6. © MIT AgeLab 2009 Where Are We and Where Do We Go from Here? Technology info today – The manual – DVD’s & the web – Sales staff – Friends – Trial and error The opportunity – designs that are intuitive will engage consumers and minimize workload – “Technology delivery” – Interactive assistance

7. © MIT AgeLab 2009 Aware Vehicles Workload / Stress Performance Active Distraction Optimal Range Inattention Fatigue Overload Alert Refresh Improve self control Increase trust (person as an active vs. passive partner) Tailor to individual reactivity profiles and capacity ? Individualized Real-time Feedback for the Driver

8. © MIT AgeLab 2009 MIT Experimental Platforms On-Road, Simulation & Laboratory For more information, agelab.mit.edu utc.mit.edu reimer@mit.edu