This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Kim DS, Wall Emerson R,...

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Kim DS, Wall Emerson R, Naghshineh K, Pliskow J, Myers K. Impact of adding artificially generated alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles on their detectability by pedestrians who are blind. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012; 43(3):381–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2011.03.0041

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD. 2011.03.0041JSP

Impact of adding artificially generated alert sound to hybrid electric vehicles

on their detectability by pedestrians who are blind

Dae Shik Kim, PhD; Robert Wall Emerson, PhD; Koorosh Naghshineh, PhD; Jay Pliskow, MS;

Kyle Myers, MS



• Aim– Investigate how addition of artificially generated sound

affects blind pedestrians’ detectability of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

• Relevance– Potential impact of hybrid and battery electric vehicles on

mobility of blind pedestrians topic of interest in popular media. • Assume quieter vehicles may be more dangerous to blind

pedestrians, who often rely on hearing vehicles to navigate and travel safely.



Methods• 14 legally blind adults attempted to detect

3 vehicles at 2 test sites:– Vehicles:• Midsize HEV sedan.• Same make and model HEV sedan with Vehicle Sound for

Pedestrians (VSP) system.• Same make and model internal combustion engine (ICE) sedan.

– Test Sites:• University parking lot.• Roadway near busy interstate and street.



Results• Detection Distance:– Vehicle:

• VSP vehicle detected significantly further away than HEV but not ICE.

– Test Site:• Despite sound level difference between parking lot and

roadway, no significant difference.

– No vehicle x site interaction found.

• Noteworthy:– Improved crossing margin (from –0.4 to 2.1 s)

with forward VSP.



Conclusions

• HEV with VSP was detected at significantly farther distance than same HEV without VSP.

• Equipping hybrid and electric vehicles with sound system that emits an alerting sound in certain low-speed maneuver conditions may contribute to the safety of blind pedestrians.

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Kim DS, Wall Emerson R,...

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