Head Movements While Steering around Bends

Abstract

In this study, the determinants of head motions (rotations) when driving around bends were investigated when drivers viewed the scene through a head-mounted display. The scene camera was either fixed or coupled to head motions along 2 or 3 axes of rotation. Eight participants drove around a triangular circuit and the range and speed of head rotations, the correlations between head rotations and lateral acceleration, and the coupling between the different axes of head rotation were calculated. Results showed that substantial head rotations were made even when head rotations had no influence on the direction of the camera, suggesting a strong motor coupling between steering actions and head motion. Head roll was determined, at least in part, by the gravito-inertial force, contradicting earlier results reported in the literature.