Research Projects during my PhD program
I was part of Hank Virtual Environments Laboratory during my PhD program in the University of Iowa. My research advsiors were Prof. Joseph Kearney from Computer Science and Prof. Jodie Plumert from Psychology and Brain Sciences.
Using Simulation to Study Communication between Autonomous Vehicles and Vulnerable Road Users
The goal of my dissertation study is to use an immersive pedestrian simulator to examine how pedestrians respond to visual cues conveying a driverless vehicle’s intent to yield to them at an unsignalized, midblock crossing. The specific objective is to examine the relationship between implicit kinematic cues for yielding, as indicated by vehicle deceleration, and the timing of an explicit cue given by an external Human-Machine Interface (eHMI) that signaled an intent to yield. Below is the picture of the study in the pedestrian simulator.
A comparison of daytime and nighttime pedestrian road-crossing behavior using an immersive pedestrian simulator
Reduced visibility for both drivers and pedestrians is a key factor underlying the higher risk of vehicle-pedestrian collisions in dark conditions. This study investigated the extent to which pedestrians adjust for the higher risk of road crossing at night by comparing daytime and nighttime pedestrian road crossing using an immersive virtual environment. Below is the video of the study in the pedestrian simulator.
Using a virtual environment to study how pedestrians' and bicyclists' respond to vehicle Adaptive Headlamp Systems (AHS) in Nighttime Condition
Adaptive Headlight Systems (AHS) offer the potential to improve the visibility of pedestrians and bicyclists for drivers and alerting them to approaching vehicles. The goal of this study was to investigate how pedestrians and bicyclists respond to different types of AHS using between-subject conditions in nighttime virtual environment. Below is the picture of AHS alert simulation for pedestrians (left) and bicyclists (right) in the pedestrian and bicyclist simulator respectively.
Using Bicyclist Simulator to Assess Right-Hook Conflicts Between Bicycles and Cars at Protected and Unprotected Intersections
The study systematically examined whether protected bike intersections reduce the likelihood of bicycle-vehicle conflicts involving right-hook turns by examining how bicyclists respond to cars making right-hook turns at protected vs. non-protected intersections. The results show significant differences in the margin of safety between riders and turning vehicles at the conflict point where their paths cross in protected vs. unprotected intersections. Below is the video of this study in the bicyclist study.