INFLUENCE OF STEERING TORQUE FEEDBACK AND NEUROMUSCULAR DYNAMICS ON DRIVER AND VEHICLE RESPONSE TO LATERAL FORCE DISTURBANCE

An existing driver-vehicle model with neuromuscular dynamics is improved in the areas of cognitive delay, intrinsic muscle dynamics and alpha-gamma co-activation. The model is used to investigate the influence of steering torque feedback and neuromuscular dynamics on the vehicle response to lateral force disturbances. When steering torque feedback is present, it is found that the longitudinal position of the lateral disturbance has a significant influence on whether the driver's reflex response reinforces or attenuates the effect of the disturbance. The results also have implications for the design of semi-autonomous steering controls.