Human Factors

Based on user-centred design processes, the "Human Factors" sub-project is developing pioneering interaction concepts for continuous automated driving in the city from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The challenges of the sub-project are to develop safe and comfortable usage scenarios and operating concepts that are tailored to the requirements and capabilities of all players in urban transport.

The sub-project pursues five objectives:

  • Adaptive HMI concepts are being developed that are tailored to different levels of automation during the journey.
  • In addition to automated driving along the SAE levels, the sub-project also looks at control strategies such as shared control and teleoperation.
  • The design of display and operating concepts is based on the analysis of complex situations that are typical for traffic scenarios in the city.
  • Various interaction channels and corresponding "xHMI" solutions for urban scenarios can be experienced in vehicles, driving simulators and virtual reality.
  • User states are determined and taken into account when specifying assistance strategies. This ranges from the recording of vital data to the modelling of constructs such as willingness to take over, driving comfort, empathy and trust.

Main Topics

 User-centred concepts of automation

  • Situation-specific recording of user states, e.g. estimation of current alertness and driver readiness
  • Development of adaptive display and operating concepts across the various automation levels
  • Concepts for operating elements and sequences for teleoperated operation

 Interaction in everyday traffic situations

  • Analysing cooperation between road users in mixed traffic on the basis of different driving situations
  • Development and evaluation of a "holistic xHMI" concept for complex traffic scenarios in the city
  • Consideration of concepts for avoiding kinetoses during automated driving

 User modelling and adaptive operating concepts

  • User-adaptive operating concepts for assistance and automated functions.
  • Modelling and measurement of driving comfort and system confidence
  • Development and evaluation of "empathic assistance"