Take over request in autonomous driving; does augmented reality help the driver to regain control?

Autonomous vehicles allow drivers to offload their attention in other tasks than driving. However, it is expected that drivers can reengage in the driving task in certain circumstances. This paper aims at investigating whether augmented reality (AR) information can positively influence the take over process.26 participants were confronted, on a driving simulator CCARDS, with a driving scenario made up of i) a phase of highly automated driving, ii) a phase of manual driving following a Take-Over Request. Each participant experienced two conditions (with classical Head-Up Display or with AR HUD). The order was counterbalanced. The final scene was different to avoid a learning effect. The dependent variables were related to timing aspects of take over process and to gaze patterns.Analysis of timing aspects by means of factorial discriminant analysis and regression trees points out that AR HUD is linked with a faster manoeuvre in terms of lane change duration, better anticipation of the lane change (earlier occurrence of the maximal depressing speed of the brake pedal) and less brutal driving (smoother action on the wheel and smaller lateral acceleration, which indicate a more comfortable lateral displacement). Further investigation will concern the influence of AR HUD on gaze patterns