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09/10/2007
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Robotic aids are very unlikely to help prevent human drivers having accidents in the near term, despite all the research that has gone into them
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This is the main conclusion from a study undertaken by Dr Endre Kadar in the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Psychology.
He explains, ““Humans are a lot cleverer than we think. “You put them in difficult situations, which are changing all the time and they still react better and more quickly than any automatic system so far invented.
“A computer should be able to drive more safely than a human but despite all the money car manufacturers are spending trying to develop this technology the fact remains, people are better than machines at driving.
"Scientists do not fully understand how humans manage to drive safely and in a consistent way. Our limited knowledge is one of the reasons why robots are still poor drivers.
“The problem is also that when people are driving they have a perceived safety cushion around them. This imaginary cushion is bigger when roads are empty and dry and is smaller when roads are crowded or wet, for example.
“A robotic system can measure all these things but in trials people tend to over-ride the system and put their foot on the brake if they feel the car is going too fast.
“The funny thing is it turns out humans are much better at judging these things. They are safer drivers than any technology under the bonnet.
"This safety cushion is an intuitive notion which makes it difficult to investigate scientifically."
For the full published paper: http://www.leaonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1207/s15326969eco1701_2?cookieSet=1
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Author
Tom Shelley
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