DoReMi Steering Wheel: Proposal for a Driving Assist System with Sound Display Depending on the Rotation Angle of Steering Wheel

It is difficult for novice drivers to improve their driving skills by themselves. One of the difficulties for novice drivers is the technique for driving on curves, such as the timing and amount of steering. Therefore, in this study, we propose a method to sensitively estimate the amount and timing of steering by using a sine wave of a musical scale corresponding to the steering angle. We called this method the “DoReMi Steering Wheel.” We also implemented a prototype system on a driving simulator and conducted experiments to check the usefulness of our system. The results showed no significant difference in the number of steering corrections between the DoReMi Steering Wheel and the standard steering wheel. Still, there was a significant difference in the subjective evaluation of the ease of driving on curves, suggesting that the DoReMi Steering Wheel may support driving.