Augmented reality vs. street views

Abstract

Prior research has shown that when drivers look away from the road to view a personal navigation device (PND), driving performance is affected. To keep visual attention on the road, an augmented reality (AR) PND using a heads-up display could overlay a navigation route. In this paper, we compare the AR PND, a technology that does not currently exist but can be simulated, with two PND technologies that are popular today: an egocentric street view PND and the standard map-based PND. Using a high-fidelity driving simulator, we examine the effect of all three PNDs on driving performance in a city traffic environment where constant, alert attention is required. Based on both objective and subjective measures, experimental results show that the AR PND exhibits the least negative impact on driving. We discuss the implications of these findings on PND design as well as methods for potential improvement.