Attention decrease of drivers exposed to vibration from military vehicles when driving in terrain conditions

In this study, we analyzed the phenomenon of reduced attention for 11 subjects using a 6-degree-of-freedom synthetic vibration platform to simulate the vibration from terrain driving. Military vehicles are mainly used in terrain conditions, and drivers are exposed to whole-body vibrations for long periods of time. Drivers not only have trouble with comfort and health, they also suffer decreased attention. This decrease has a negative effect on driving. The vibration signal of a military vehicle on terrain is simulated using a synthetic vibration platform. Eleven subjects experienced these synthesized field-terrain vibrations while on the vibration platform performing a variety of perceptual and cognitive attention tests. The attention tests were divided into perceptual and cognitive, and the decrease in attention caused by vibration exposure and the exposure time was analyzed. From the results, automatic perceptual attention was not affected by vibration exposure. When the complexity of cognitive processing was increased during the attention test, the effects of vibration exposure became significant. The decrease in certain attention mechanisms was found when drivers were exposed to whole-body vibrations. Thus, it is expected that drivers are adversely affected when performing missions. We analyze the correlation between vibration exposure and attention decrease in this study, and the ability of the military vehicle driver to perform his mission can be predicted.
Source: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics - Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research