Browsing by Author "Li, Yinjia"

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  • Investigating the effect of earcon and speech variables on hybrid auditory alerts at rail crossings
    Nadri, Chihab; Lee, Seulchan; Kekal, Siddhant; Li, Yinjia; Li, Xuan; Lautala, Pasi; Nelson, David; Jeon, Myounghoon (International Community for Auditory Display, 2021-06-26)
    Despite rail industry advances in reducing accidents at Highway Rail Grade Crossings (HRGCs), train-vehicle collisions continue to happen. The use of auditory displays has been suggested as a countermeasure to improve driver behavior at HRGCs, with prior research recommending the use of hybrid sound alerts consisting of earcons and speech messages. In this study, we sought to further investigate the effect of auditory variables in hybrid sound alerts. Nine participants were recruited and instructed to evaluate 18 variations of a hybrid In-Vehicle Auditory Alert (IVAA) along 11 subjective ratings. Results showed that earcon speed and pitch contour design can change user perception of the hybrid IVAA. Results further indicated the influence of speech gender and other semantic variables on user assessment of HRGC IVAAs. Findings of the current study can also inform and instruct the design of appropriate hybrid IVAAs for HRGCs.
  • "Slow down. Rail crossing ahead. Look left and right at the crossing": In-vehicle auditory alerts improve driver behavior at rail crossings
    Nadri, Chihab; Kekal, Siddhant; Li, Yinjia; Li, Xuan; Lee, Seul Chan; Nelson, David; Lautala, Pasi; Jeon, Myounghoon (Elsevier, 2022-09-27)
    Even though the rail industry has made great strides in reducing accidents at crossings, train-vehicle collisions at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings (HRGCs) continue to be a major issue in the US and across the world. In this research, we conducted a driving simulator study (N = 35) to evaluate a hybrid in-vehicle auditory alert (IVAA), composed of both speech and non-speech components, that was selected after two rounds of subjective evaluation studies. Participants drove through a simulated scenario and reacted to HRGCs with and without the IVAA present and through different music conditions and crossing devices. Driver simulator testing results showed that the inclusion of the hybrid IVAA significantly improved driving behavior near HRGCs in terms of gaze behavior, braking reaction, and approach speed to the crossing. The driving simulator study also showed the effects of background music and warning device types on driving performance. The study contributes to the large-scale implementation of IVAAs at HRGCs, as well as the development of guidelines toward a more standardized approach for IVAAs at HRGCs.