Establishing the Role of a Virtual Lead Vehicle as a Novel Augmented Reality Navigational Aid

This paper reports on two studies investigating how following a lead vehicle could act as a metaphor for an Augmented Reality (AR) system to support navigation tasks. For the first formative study, 34 participants completed a video-based evaluation of the role of a real lead vehicle when navigating a coherent journey. Verbal protocols indicated that a lead vehicle may be a valuable navigation aid at a range of different junction types, but not where drivers may desire a preview of upcoming steps or their overall orientation. A subsequent driving simulator study with 22 participants examined whether an AR lead vehicle may support drivers when navigating at complex junctions, specifically large multi-exit roundabouts. The virtual car led to good navigation and driving performance, which was comparable to a more traditional screen-fixed interface. Overall, this work demonstrates that a virtual lead vehicle may be beneficial within AR navigation devices.