Driver-vehicle interaction in steering and handling tasks

In recent years, there is an increasing interest in optimising driver-vehicle interaction by improving vehicle dynamics. Understanding the relation between subjective and objective assessment of vehicle dynamics is an increasingly important issue. There are several reasons for these developments. Firstly, vehicle design engineers experience that there is a limited amount of knowledge about how to design for optimal driver-vehicle interaction. Secondly, the design cycle for new vehicles could be shorter if more precise design principles and guidelines were available. These design principles and guidelines should indicate to the engineer, which objective vehicle design parameters are relevant for driver acceptance and driver-vehicle performance, and which settings of objective vehicle dynamics parameters will most likely result in optimal driver-vehicle interaction. Thirdly, electronic systems in vehicles, such as vehicle dynamics control and drive by wire systems, allow the designer to define and adapt the handling and steering characteristics of a vehicle according to specific abilities and preferences of the driver. This paper describes a new approach for research on vehicle dynamics requirements for optimal driver-vehicle interaction, and explains the benefits of this approach. The proposed approach combines research methods from both vehicle dynamics and human factors