This project involves the development of a VR autonomous driving simulator that allows users to experience AR-HUD elements while driving autonomously at night on country roads
This project was developed in context of my bachelor thesis at the University of Regensburg, specifically within the Chair for Media Informatics.
Building upon existing research in this field, I designed four AR-HUD elements using Unity 2021.3.1f1 and Blender. The primary goal was to investigate user preferences for AR-HUD elements in the context of nighttime driving on rural roads.
The AR-HUD elements have two main characteristics. The elements can be either world or screen related as well as have different levels of abstraction.
- World or Screen Related: These elements are designed to either interact with the real-world environment or be anchored to the user's viewpoint or screen, providing different ways of presenting information.
- Levels of Abstraction: The AR-HUD elements also vary in their levels of abstraction, offering users either detailed and realistic or simplified and abstracted visualizations.
| Categories | Screen related | World related |
|---|---|---|
| Abstraction level 1 |  |
 |
| Abstraction level 2 |  |
 |
To achieve my research goal, I conducted a study with the help of my VR autonomous driving simulator.
As a result, most of the participants prefer the world related abstraction level 1 AR-HUD element, closely followed by the screen related abstraction level 1 element.
The AR-HUD element which is the least favorite is the screen related abstraction level 2 AR-HUD element.
This project contributes to the understanding of how augmented reality can enhance the driving experience, particularly in low-light and rural settings. The combination of VR technology, Unity development, and user testing enabled a comprehensive exploration of user preferences and the potential applications of AR-HUD technology in real-world scenarios.
Ground forest material:
Daněk, M. (2022). Ground Forest. BlenderKit. https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery?search_text=ground+forest&query=category_subtree%3Amaterial+order%3A_score (Accessed 05.06.2022)
Road with Dashed Lane:
Ernyei, G. (2022). Road With Dashed Lane. BlenderKit. https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/ce8ed183-4b10-4f17-a89e-cf036f78faf6/ (Accessed 05.06.2022)
2019 Audi RS Q3 Sportback:
Wisky, Y. L. (2019). 2019 Audi RS Q3 Sportback. BlenderKit. https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/0452bb5a-57b3-4eb2-bcf3-ecec4720565c/ (Accessed 05.06.2022)
Bézier Path Creator:
Lague, S. (2019). Bézier Path Creator. Unity Asset Store. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/utilities/b-zier-path-creator-136082 (Accessed 05.06.2022)
Unity:
Unity. (2022) The world's leading platform for real-time content creation. https://unity.com/ (Accessed 01.09.2022)