Car accidents prevention warning system based on vibrotactile steering wheels

This paper proposes the design and build of a driver warning system, based on vibro-tactile feedback for preventing accidents through the generation of tactile stimuli. The system has two vibro-tactile grips devices which are easily mounted on the steering wheel of any vehicle and an electronic system based on location sensing as well as inter-vehicles communication, from which a risk level is computed on line in order to warn the driver about dangerous situations and risk zones. A model focalized on human factors is proposed and it is employed to justify the advantages of using artificial stimuli. Besides, the hardware, communication between vehicles and embedded software, are described too. Finally, experiences using the device in a racing car simulator and tests using two ordinary cars are shown