Connecting Drivers with ADAS to Optimize Safety in SAE Level 3 Autonomous Vehicles

What is CONNECT?

The objective of the CONNECT project is to understand how Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) can be optimized in SAE Level 3 autonomous vehicles.  Most modern vehicles are equipped with ADAS, which are designed to enhance driver performance and safety.  However, ADAS technology can support safe driving only when the alerts and information provided by the systems are understood and acted upon correctly by the driver.  The effective use of ADAS can be very challenging, especially for novice and older drivers.

The CONNECT project is a collaboration between behavioural and engineering researchers at Carleton University, working in concert with physicians specializing in driver assessment at the Élisabeth Bruyère and Ottawa Hospitals.  

The outcome of the CONNECT project will be to (a) promote effective use of ADAS, especially in vulnerable novice and older drivers, (b) improve innovative design in SAE Level 3 autonomous vehicles, and (c) contribute to the education, training and testing of ADAS technologies.  

Our Mission & Goals

  • Promote ADAS Use: Help novice and older drivers respond effectively to ADAS alerts.
  • Innovative Vehicle Design: Improve ADAS integration in SAE-Level 3 autonomous vehicles.
  • Education & Training: Develop training programs to ensure drivers can use ADAS safely.

Meet the CONNECT Team

Carleton University:

Dr. Chris Herdman (Principal Investigator).  Professor of Cognitive Science & Director of the Carleton Visualization and Simulation (VSIM) Centre)

Dr. Kathleen Van Benthem.  Senior Researcher & Adjunct, Cognitive Science

Dr. Bruce Wallace.  Senior Researchers and Adjunct, Systems Engineering)

Lindsay McCauley.  UX Specialist, Carleton VSIM Centre

Dr. Rafik Goubran. Vice-President (Research and International)

Project Collaborators: Élisabeth Bruyère and Ottawa Hospitals

Dr. Frank Knoefel.  Physician: Older Adult Decline and Driving,  Bruyère Health Memory Clinic and Adjunct Research Professor, Systems Engineering, Carleton University.

Dr. Shawn Marshall. Physician: Division Head of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Hospital.

Dr. Andrew Frank. Physician: Cognitive and behavioural neurologist, and medical director of the Bruyère Health Memory Clinic at the Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital in Ottawa.

Dr. Neil Thomas. Physician: Cognitive and Behavioral Neurologist at the Bruyère Health Memory Clinic, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa and an Affiliate Investigator, Bruyère Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.