Will artificial light in truck cab improve the well-being and efficiency of the drivers? Daimler researchers decided to answer that question and that is why they decided to carry out a number of studies in Finland. The results were surprising.
Idea Daylight + was created during a series of experiments in a sleep laboratory at the University of Regensburg. Siegfried Rothe who is involved with many Daimler projects aimed at improving working and living conditions of truck drivers noticed that because of the contour shape of a traditional cabin only a small percentage of daylight reaches inside.
In order to determine the possible benefits of using daylight inside the truck cabin Siegfried Rothe formulated the hypothesis that the use of light at wavelengths between 460 and 490 nanometres positively influences the well-being and work of truck drivers.
The results of the preliminary tests with the engineers were clear
The subjective status of all the subjects significantly improved under the influence of an additional dose of light, regardless of the time of day. It also turned out that drivers with more natural light in the cab were driving more economically.
The experiment in Finland confirmed this
Eight drivers were subjected to the tests in Rovaniemi for a period of two weeks. In the first week a truck with traditional cabin lighting was used. The next was equipped with Daylight+ system which provided additional light during daytime and breaks.
Extra dose of light have three different intensiveness modes:
- continuous light when driving but the intensiveness was adjusted to the level of ambient light
- a single, intensive dose of light before and after the test drive
- a beam of light based on the maximum intensity during breaks when the driver relaxes in a chair that was set for a nap
The team documented the results of tests using measurements of health and mental states of drivers, as well as details of vehicles registered via the FleetBoard telematics system.
After the end of a cycle interviews with project participants were carried out All of them expressed their enthusiasm for Daylight+ and unambiguously stated that thanks to the additional light being in the cab was much more comfortable.
Siegfried Rothe, manager of the project, announced that the analysis of the data from a series of experiments conducted in the Arctic Circle will take several months.
Only then will we be able to recommend changes to the projects of illuminating the cabin” – he said.
Photo: Daimler
