Please stand back! User acceptance in automated vehicles
As part of the iKoPA project, Fraunhofer FOKUS is developing an interactive simulator for the virtual testing of automated driving and for the analysis of user acceptance. To this end, various driving scenarios were created in which students of the TU Berlin had to monitor the system behavior and intervene in difficult situations. The student with the best test drive result was awarded a prize.
In order for research and development of fully automated vehicles to continue in Germany, the acceptance of potential users of automated vehicles is crucial. As part of the iKoPA research initiative, a simulator for the virtual testing of automated driving is being developed with which users can experience various driving scenarios in a realistic car cockpit. As in a real automated vehicle, the steering wheel turns on its own in the simulator, while the user sees a virtual journey through a 3D world, projected onto a large screen. Various driving scenarios can be simulated, such as an undisturbed drive without other road users under ideal conditions. However, it is also possible to simulate complex traffic situations in which user intervention is necessary to prevent a collision with sudden obstacles. In addition, system errors such as unexpected rapid increases in speed, close driving due to sensor inaccuracies or hacker attacks can also be simulated.