ZF and FKA Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen have developed a new concept for a vehicle cockpit called Concept 2020, which can help to relieve driver stress and prevent accidents by showing the status of all assistance systems in one overview.
Furthermore, with this concept, ZF’s latest integrated safety systems can prompt the driver to act when necessary. Research also determined that Concept 2020 can also boost confidence in automated systems.
During the development process, the system was evaluated extensively in a driving simulator. Test subjects were able to understand the functions intuitively without explanation needed. Furthermore, in comparison to assistance systems with a conventional layout (which were also used during the study), participants felt safest with the maximum level of AVA sensitivity. The congruence between the display screen and the actual events taking place in the vehicle’s surroundings played a crucial role in the trust that the subject had in the automated driving functions.
Concept 2020 provides the driver a bird’s-eye view of their vehicle on the head-up display instrument cluster (HUDIC). A 360° view informs the driver why and to what extent the assistance system is intervening.
