The use of communication technologies, e.g., mobile phones, has increased dramatically in recent years, and their use among drivers has become a great risk to traffic safety. The present study assessed the workload and road ordinary violations, utilizing driving data collected from 39 young participants who underwent a dual-task while driving a simulator, i.e., respond to a call, text on WhatsApp, and check Instagram. Findings confirmed that there are significant differences in the driving performance of young drivers in terms of vehicle control (i.e., lateral distance and hard shoulder line violations) between distracted and non-distracted drivers. Furthermore, the overall workload score of young drivers increases with the use of their mobile phones while driving. The obtained results contribute to a better understanding of the driving performance of distracted young drivers and thus they could be useful for further improvements to traffic safety strategies.

Modern technology offers many facilities, but elderly people are often unable to enjoy them fully because they feel discouraged or intimidated by modern devices, and hus become progressively isolated in a society where Internet communication and ICT knowledge are essential. In this paper we present a study performed during the Nacodeal Project, which aims to offer a technological solution that may improve elderly people's every day autonomy and life quality through the integration of ICTs. In order to achieve this goal, state-of-art Augmented Reality technology was developed along with carefully designed Internet services and interfaces for mobile devices. Such technology only requires the infrastructure which already exists in most residences and health-care centres. We present the design of a prototypical system consisting of a tablet and a wearable AR system, and the evaluation of its impact on the social interaction of its users as well its acceptance and usability. This evaluation was performed, through focus groups and individual pilot tests, on 48 participants that included elderly people, caregivers and experts. Their feedback leads us to the conclusion that there are significant benefits to be gained and much interest among the elderly in assistive AR-based ICTs, particularly in relation to the communication and autonomy that they may provide. Las posibilidades que ofrecen las tecnologías son muchas, sin embargo, las personas mayores son a menudo incapaces de disfrutar de ellas plenamente, sintiéndose desanimadas o intimidadas por estos nuevos dispositivos. Esto les lleva a un progresivo aislamiento en una sociedad donde es esencial conocer las distintas formas de comunicación a través de Internet y las TIC. En este trabajo presentamos un estudio realizado durante el proyecto Nacodeal, cuyo objetivo es ofrecer una solución tecnológica para proporcionar autonomía y una mejor calidad de vida para las personas mayores durante sus actividades diarias mediante la integración de las TIC. Para lograr este objetivo se ha desarrollado tecnología puntera en realidad aumentada (RA), así como servicios de Internet e interfaces para dispositivos móviles especialmente diseñados para personas mayores. Estas tecnologías emplean la infraestructura presente en la mayoría de casas y centros de cuidados de mayores. Presentamos un prototipo de sistema compuesto por una tableta y un dispositivo de RA portátil, así como el análisis del impacto social en la interacción con usuarios y la valoración de la aceptación y usabilidad. Esta evaluación se llevó a cabo a través de grupos focales y pruebas piloto individuales con 48 participantes: ancianos, cuidadores y expertos. Sus comentarios concluyen que existen fuertes beneficios e intereses por parte de las personas mayores en las TIC asistenciales basadas en RA, especialmente en los aspectos relacionados con la comunicación y autonomía.

Roundabouts are considered as one of the most efficient forms of intersection that substantially reduce the types of crashes that result in injury or loss of life. Nevertheless, they do not eliminate collision risks, especially when human error plays such a large role in traffic crashes. In this study, we used a driving simulator and an eye tracker to investigate drivers’ eye movements under cell phone-induced distraction. A total of 45 drivers participated in two experiments conducted under distracted and non-distracted conditions. The results indicated that, under distracting conditions, the drivers’ fixation duration decreased significantly on roundabouts, and pupil size increased significantly.

The aim of this study was to quantify the probability of committing a speed infraction by young drivers and to investigate to what extent listening music could affect young drivers’ emotions as well as their driving performances at the wheel. To achieve this aim, employing Bayesian networks, the study analysed different music styles, in which they resulted in sample drivers’ speed infractions. Gender and drivers’ experiences at the wheel were the other factors, which were taken into account when interpreting the study results. Variables taken into account in this study included type of music whilst driving, gender of drivers, and drivers’ driving experiences. These variables further incorporated into the study of other telemetric variables including acceleration, number of revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine, brake, traffic, and other types of infractions other than speed, which were considered as dependent variables. A driving simulator was used, and different driving simulation studies were carried out with young people aged between 20 and 28 years. Each participant carried out three simulations by listening to different type of music in each journey. The study defined a conceptual model in which the data were analysed and evaluated mathematically through Bayesian networks. A sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of music on driving speed. Based on the different variables, the study further analysed the probability of speed infractions committed by drivers and their adequate speed. The range of frequency probabilities varied between 96.32% (which corresponds to experienced male drivers who do not listen to music) and 79.38% (which corresponds to less-experienced female drivers who listen to music), which resulted in their happiness or aggression.

Neste artigo, vamos aproximar o leitor das oportunidades e das vantagens de duas inovadoras tecnologias que estão se integrando ao contexto educacional: Realidade Virtual e Realidade Aumentada. O artigo aborda desde definições e características, com o objetivo de diferenciar cada tecnologia, até a apresentação de aplicativos no contexto da Educação Ambiental, com o objetivo de compartilhar com os professores novas metodologias e novos recursos. Abordaremos algumas experiências de uso dessas tecnologias aplicadas ao ensino/aprendizagem do Meio Ambiente e quais são as suas vantagens para a Educação