EchoDrive: Gamification of Perceptual Guidance via Spatial Audio in AV Driving Simulation

Abstract

As vehicles become increasingly automated, the driver’s role is shifting from active controller to passive supervisor. Automation reduces manual effort, but it also introduces the risk of disengagement and decreased situational awareness. This paper presents EchoDrive, a gamified in-cabin system designed to support situational awareness (SA) in vehicle occupants during automated driving through spatialized audio cues and gesture-based responses. The system allows drivers to initiate sonar-like scans and point toward the audio cues responses of the detected traffic participants, fostering periodic perceptual engagement. A within-subjects simulation compared EchoDrive to a mobile game baseline. Results showed that, compared to a visually demanding smartphone game baseline, EchoDrive increased subjective driver SA, reduced reported cognitive workload, and improved takeover readiness, while being positively received by participants. This work highlights the potential of lightweight multi-sensory interaction to support driver presence in automated vehicle contexts, though the asymmetric comparison limits attribution to specific design elements.