Abstract
The main objective of this Non Visual Information research (NVI) was to develop a measurement procedure and find measurement based indications of the role of the driver’s seat in vehicle controlling. The term driving includes large variety of tasks, if understood as travelling from point A to B. In this kind of execution one has to cope with traffic situations, interpret and adapt to traffic rules, as well as to choose the route and use the controls of the car like steering wheel, pedals, gearshift etc. Driving in this paper is understood at its very narrow meaning, handling of the car during a certain maneuvers.
Based on the results achieved, it seems that the role of the seat for the driver has a nature of improving operational preconditions. If the contact between the driver and the seat is good and supportive, the driver can sense more easily the information available via steering wheel. If the contact between the driver and the seat is weak or there is not enough support available during for example curve negotiation, the driver has to take support from steering wheel and pedals. In this case his/her capability to sense small variations in the torque at steering wheel is lower. A good seat improves the signal to noise ratio of the information driver gather via senses.
Keywords: Non visual information, vehicle handling