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Impact of adding artificially generated alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles on their detectability by pedestrians who are blind . Dae Shik Kim, PhD; Robert Wall Emerson, PhD; Koorosh Naghshineh, PhD; Jay Pliskow, MS; Kyle Myers, MS . Aim
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Impact of adding artificially generated alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles on their detectability by pedestrians who are blind Dae Shik Kim, PhD; Robert Wall Emerson, PhD; Koorosh Naghshineh, PhD; Jay Pliskow, MS; Kyle Myers, MS
Aim • Investigate how addition of artificially generated sound affects blind pedestrians’ detectability of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). • Relevance • Potential impact of hybrid and battery electric vehicles on mobility of blind pedestrians topic of interest in popular media. • Assume quieter vehicles may be more dangerous to blind pedestrians, who often rely on hearing vehicles to navigate and travel safely.
Methods • 14 legally blind adults attempted to detect 3 vehicles at 2 test sites: • Vehicles: • Midsize HEV sedan. • Same make and model HEV sedan with Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP) system. • Same make and model internal combustion engine (ICE) sedan. • Test Sites: • University parking lot. • Roadway near busy interstate and street.
Results • Detection Distance: • Vehicle: • VSP vehicle detected significantly further away than HEV but not ICE. • Test Site: • Despite sound level difference between parking lot and roadway, no significant difference. • No vehicle x site interaction found. • Noteworthy: • Improved crossing margin (from –0.4 to 2.1 s) with forward VSP.
Conclusions • HEV with VSP was detected at significantly farther distance than same HEV without VSP. • Equipping hybrid and electric vehicles with sound system that emits an alerting sound in certain low-speed maneuver conditions may contribute to the safety of blind pedestrians.