A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
As automobile manufacturers have begun to design, engineer, and test autonomous driving systems of the future, brain imaging with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide unique insights about cognitive processes associated with evolving levels of autonomy implemented in the automob...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.637589/full |
| _version_ | 1818675773318365184 |
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| author | Stephanie Balters Joseph M. Baker Joseph W. Geeseman Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss |
| author_facet | Stephanie Balters Joseph M. Baker Joseph W. Geeseman Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss |
| author_sort | Stephanie Balters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As automobile manufacturers have begun to design, engineer, and test autonomous driving systems of the future, brain imaging with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide unique insights about cognitive processes associated with evolving levels of autonomy implemented in the automobile. Modern fNIRS devices provide a portable, relatively affordable, and robust form of functional neuroimaging that allows researchers to investigate brain function in real-world environments. The trend toward “naturalistic neuroscience” is evident in the growing number of studies that leverage the methodological flexibility of fNIRS, and in doing so, significantly expand the scope of cognitive function that is accessible to observation via functional brain imaging (i.e., from the simulator to on-road scenarios). While more than a decade’s worth of study in this field of fNIRS driving research has led to many interesting findings, the number of studies applying fNIRS during autonomous modes of operation is limited. To support future research that directly addresses this lack in autonomous driving research with fNIRS, we argue that a cogent distillation of the methods used to date will help facilitate and streamline this research of tomorrow. To that end, here we provide a methodological review of the existing fNIRS driving research, with the overarching goal of highlighting the current diversity in methodological approaches. We argue that standardization of these approaches will facilitate greater overlap of methods by researchers from all disciplines, which will, in-turn, allow for meta-analysis of future results. We conclude by providing recommendations for advancing the use of such fNIRS technology in furthering understanding the adoption of safe autonomous vehicle technology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T08:32:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d16b998a93f41e9b873a949715b0436 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T08:32:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d16b998a93f41e9b873a949715b04362022-12-21T21:56:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612021-04-011510.3389/fnhum.2021.637589637589A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous VehiclesStephanie Balters0Joseph M. Baker1Joseph W. Geeseman2Allan L. Reiss3Allan L. Reiss4Allan L. Reiss5Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesCenter for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesUnited States Navy, Washington, DC, United StatesCenter for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesDepartment of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesAs automobile manufacturers have begun to design, engineer, and test autonomous driving systems of the future, brain imaging with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can provide unique insights about cognitive processes associated with evolving levels of autonomy implemented in the automobile. Modern fNIRS devices provide a portable, relatively affordable, and robust form of functional neuroimaging that allows researchers to investigate brain function in real-world environments. The trend toward “naturalistic neuroscience” is evident in the growing number of studies that leverage the methodological flexibility of fNIRS, and in doing so, significantly expand the scope of cognitive function that is accessible to observation via functional brain imaging (i.e., from the simulator to on-road scenarios). While more than a decade’s worth of study in this field of fNIRS driving research has led to many interesting findings, the number of studies applying fNIRS during autonomous modes of operation is limited. To support future research that directly addresses this lack in autonomous driving research with fNIRS, we argue that a cogent distillation of the methods used to date will help facilitate and streamline this research of tomorrow. To that end, here we provide a methodological review of the existing fNIRS driving research, with the overarching goal of highlighting the current diversity in methodological approaches. We argue that standardization of these approaches will facilitate greater overlap of methods by researchers from all disciplines, which will, in-turn, allow for meta-analysis of future results. We conclude by providing recommendations for advancing the use of such fNIRS technology in furthering understanding the adoption of safe autonomous vehicle technology.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.637589/fullfNIRSfunctional near-infrared spectroscopyautonomous drivingnaturalistic brain imagingmethodology |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie Balters Joseph M. Baker Joseph W. Geeseman Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss Allan L. Reiss A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles Frontiers in Human Neuroscience fNIRS functional near-infrared spectroscopy autonomous driving naturalistic brain imaging methodology |
| title | A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles |
| title_full | A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles |
| title_fullStr | A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles |
| title_short | A Methodological Review of fNIRS in Driving Research: Relevance to the Future of Autonomous Vehicles |
| title_sort | methodological review of fnirs in driving research relevance to the future of autonomous vehicles |
| topic | fNIRS functional near-infrared spectroscopy autonomous driving naturalistic brain imaging methodology |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.637589/full |
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