I was one of the UX researchers working for the UK Autodrive, a flagship, multi-partner project studying automated vehicles.
It focused on the development of Human Machine Interface (HMI), and performing real-world trials of these technologies in low-speed, short range vehicles. I was working for Jaguar Land Rover, and we were using vehicles manufactured by RDM Group, a.k.a. Aurigo. The project was funded by Innovate UK – an agency to find and drive science and technology innovations.
We conducted dozens of user studies and had more than 500 participants testing self-driving vehicles in diverse types of experiments. Some examples can be seen here, where I describe usability studies testing interfaces, both internal (for occupants of the vehicle) and external (for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users). Research questions involved wether or not specific features increase trust and acceptance of autonomous vehicles.
One video explaining the wider project was published on Twitter:
How can cities increase #CAV capacity by up to 20% without a big infrastructure spend? Through our leading role in @UKAutodrive we’ve identified a number of ways to overcome the blockers to widespread #CAV technology adoption. Read the final report: https://t.co/67HSzQNQ1S pic.twitter.com/1OtX2IXson
— Arup UK (@ArupUK) May 30, 2019
A self-driving pod just made its way into the @wmgwarwick 3xD simulator for more research on #AutonomousVehicles #autonomousdriving #driverless @UKAutodrive @RDM_Group_ @aurrigotech pic.twitter.com/XAZNWQAYqX
— Luis Oliveira (@luibhz) January 31, 2018
More information can be found on the project website: www.ukautodrive.com