Improving the Performance of In-vehicle Interaction: the Role of Wrist Support

Development of cockpit display system for automobile has a tendency to large-screen and multi-screen. More and more functions are being incorporated into one interface which increase the complexity of human-machine interaction. Designing a wrist support device for the driver can not only improve the interaction efficiency, but also improve the interaction quality. This paper studies the performance of in-vehicle interaction with and without wrist support. Measurements in timing and quality aspects were adopted to evaluate the interaction process. Although it is a static test, the results still indicated improvements in interaction performance compared to condition of no wrist support. Wrist support can improve the driver's control accuracy of fingertip movement, which was reflected by faster finger velocity and shorter task completion time. In addition, wrist support could reduce the muscle load resulting in better user experience and lower musculoskeletal health risk. Dramatically change on cockpit is not necessary for manufacturers, optimisation of the shift lever or armrest box could provide wrist support for the driver. These results could be used as reference for automobile manufacturers.