Exploring Female Volunteer Head and Thorax Kinematics During a Braking Pulse in the Presence of a Steering Wheel

As driving becomes more automated, the driver–car interaction is changing. The steering wheel, traditionally the main interface between the driver and the vehicle, is reduced to being a part of the environment in autonomous driving. Its influence on kinematic reactions to decelerations without a prompt to take over control of the vehicle is still unknown. Therefore, low-speed sled tests with seven female volunteers matching 5th or 50th percentile anthropometrics were performed, including three upright trials and two reclined trials at backrest angles of 23° and 45° during a standardized braking pulse. A steering wheel was placed in front of the volunteers to limit available space when moving forward. Kinematic analysis focused on the forward head movement. The study showed that no targeted hand grasping towards the steering wheel occurred in either backrest configuration. Head forward excursion was slightly higher in the first upright trial for some volunteers. Less variation and lower absolute forward excursion of the head were found in the reclined trials. Without the need for a required vehicle takeover, no grasping of the steering wheel was observed among the participants studied.