Researchers Developing “Road Frustration” Index

Piloting your car through dense city traffic can have moments that are almost as stressful as jumping out of an airplane, according to preliminary research by Audi AG and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Their effort, which is being coordinated through MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory, aims to create a road frustration index based on measurements in 30 metropolitan areas across the U.S.

The researchers spent the past 12 months monitoring stress levels of drivers in metropolitan Boston as they navigated everything from quiet suburban side streets to downtown's notoriously chaotic rush-hour traffic.

Scientists are combining measurements from physiological sensors with input from cameras that capture a driver's body movements and facial expression in response to external traffic conditions. They are collecting similar stress measurements of people in situations ranging from routine daily activities to participating in extreme sports.

Audi says the frustration index will help it find ways to use make driving less stressful through the use of electronic aids and connectivity technologies.