Relationship between steering feel and upper extremity activity during straight-line driving of a four-wheeled vehicle (Experimental evaluation of straight-line stability under different driving force distributions)

Straight-line stability has become an important factor not only in driver control but also in evaluating driving support systems in recent years. However, few detailed studies have examined situations in which changes in vehicle dynamics are subtle and driver input is small. In this study, using an experimental vehicle in which the driving force distribution can be changed arbitrarily, we investigated the relationship between the driver's steering feel during straight-line driving and upper extremity muscle activity. The results suggest that the difference in steering feel due to differences in driving force distribution manifests as increased muscle activity of the abductor pollicis brevis and increased coactivation of the left and right anterior deltoids.