Keep Calm and Relax -- HMI for Autonomous Vehicles

TL;DR

The paper investigates how HMI/UI can build passenger trust and regulate emotions in autonomous vehicles. It conducts a comprehensive literature review of mono- and multi-modal interfaces, as well as trust- and emotion-focused UIs, to assess their potential for calming passengers in emergencies. It proposes concrete design concepts for per-passenger emotion regulation using wearable biosignals, directional audio, and tactile/visual feedback, guided by Gestalt and multisensory integration theories. The findings suggest that well-designed, multimodal HMI/UI can enhance perceived safety and acceptance of automation, supporting safer and more comfortable autonomous mobility.

Abstract

The growing popularity of self-driving, so-called autonomous vehicles has increased the need for human-machine interfaces~(HMI) and user interaction~(UI) to enhance passenger trust and comfort. While fallback drivers significantly influence the perceived trustfulness of self-driving vehicles, fallback drivers are an expensive solution that may not even improve vehicle safety in emergency situations. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this work delves into the potential of HMI and UI in enhancing trustfulness and emotion regulation in driverless vehicles. By analyzing the impact of various HMI and UI on passenger emotions, innovative and cost-effective concepts for improving human-vehicle interaction are conceptualized. To enable a trustful, highly comfortable, and safe ride, this work concludes by discussing whether HMI and UI are suitable for calming passengers down in emergencies, leading to smarter mobility for all.

Figures (3)

• Figure 1: Overview of interaction clusters I)--IX) for assistant, partial automated, and automated driving, i.e., level 0 to 5; gray boxes indicating important driver/passenger UI and HMI; dashed boxes are currently neglected in the development of automated vehicles.
• Figure 2: Revolutionizing trust and comfort in self-driving vehicles, enhancing HMI for smarter mobility to tell the passengers, even in emergency situations, that everything is in control; cf. \ref{['fig:teaser1']}---\ref{['fig:teaser3']}.
• Figure 3: Building trust and regulating emotions in each passenger--with the use of a smartwatch, the individual stress levels of the passengers are monitored, and based on their emotional states, music via directional loudspeakers is played back only for each passenger. In addition, smart e-textiles softly vibrate and regulate the passengers' heat rate.