Designing cooperative interaction of automated vehicles with other road users in mixed traffic environments (interACT)

Duration

2017 - 2020

 

Motivation

As Automated Vehicles (AVs) will be deployed in mixed traffic, they need to interact safely and efficiently with other traffic participants. The interACT project will be working towards the safe integration of AVs into mixed traffic environments. In order to do so, interACT will analyse todays’ human-human interaction strategies, and implement and evaluate solutions for safe, cooperative, and intuitive interactions between AVs and both their on-board driver and other traffic participants.

 

Objectives

interACT will enable the safe integration of Automated Vehicles into mixed traffic environments by designing, implementing, and evaluating solutions for safe, cooperative, and expectation- conforming interactions between the Automated Vehicle and both its on-board driver and other traffic participants. In more detail, interACT will:

  • Study human interactions and develop psychological models of interaction between different road users that help with the design and selection of appropriate and safe interaction strategies for AVs.
  • Improve methods for assessing the intentions, and predicting the behaviour of other traffic participants.
  • Develop a novel Cooperation and Communication Planning Unit (CCP Unit) to enable the integrated planning and control of AV’s behaviour, and the provision of time-synchronised Human Machine Interfaces for both the user on-board and surrounding road users.
  • Develop a safety layer and provide fail-safe trajectory planning using formal verification methods to ensure safety in mixed traffic environments and reduce certification costs.
  • Develop novel human-vehicle interaction designs and HMI elements to assist the interaction of the on-board user, the AV, and other road users, thus ensuring expectation-conforming behaviour by the AV.
  • Establish new evaluation methods for studying the interactions of road users with AVs, and user acceptance of these vehicles.