Autonomous Buses on Public Roads

We investigated how people interact with autonomous shuttle buses on public roads, mapping challenges and design opportunities.

1. The buses do not follow human practices for moving on the road, which can lead to emergency braking. While humans usually participate in overtaking maneuvers (e.g. by lifting the foot off the gas pedal for a moment), the buses keep moving at a steady speed, which makes it difficult for cyclists to coordinate their movement with the buses.

Results published at [HRI2021]

2. Using sound in combination with their movement, the buses can communicate that their coordination capabilities are limited. I used video voice-overs and tested sound on the buses in live traffic to explore how the buses could use sound to interact with other people on the road.

Results published at [HRI2023]. Partially covered also in [Sound and Robotics book].