Unwinding after work: an in-car mood induction system for semi-autonomous driving

We present a concept for an in-car system to support unwinding after work. It consists of a mood sensing steering wheel, an interactive in-car environment and a tangible input device. The in-car environment incorporates a basic state that uses color to relax or energize the driver, and an exploratory state that intends to immerse the user into a simulated environment. In the exploratory state, the user plays with a tangible input device allowing the simulated environment to appear. This environment includes images and sounds related to a certain theme. Our preliminary research findings reveal that users felt significantly calmer and marginally significantly better after interacting with the simulated environment. Results from the semi-structured interviews demonstrated that the majority of people appreciated the system and thought it might be effective to support unwinding. These outcomes demonstrate potential in the concept, but testing in a more realistic setting is necessary.