Navigating with Augmented Reality – How does it affect drivers’ mental load?

Drivers have been proven to easily understand Augmented Reality (AR) information. Especially in an ambiguous navigation task, drivers are expected to benefit from AR information. The driving simulator study was aimed at examining differences in mental load while navigating in an urban area with ambiguous intersection situations (N = 59). The navigation information was presented to the driver through a head-up display (HUD): a conventional HUD or an AR display, which relates information to the surroundings. Additionally, the driver had to solve a non-driving-related task (NDRT) which was an auditory cognitive, spatial task. Results showed that while driving with the AR display, participants performed better in the NDRT, which indicates a reduced mental load compared with the HUD. Participants drove on average 3 km/h slower with the HUD, showing compensation behaviour.