Intel Editorial: When Will You Be Ready to Get in a Driverless Car?
August 24 2017 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Passenger Trust is Key to Our Autonomous Future
Even with Perfect Self-Driving Technology
The following is an opinion editorial provided by Jack Weast, a
senior principal engineer and the chief systems architect for
Intel’s Autonomous Driving Group.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170824005291/en/
Passengers take an autonomous test ride
during an Intel Corporation study of the human-machine interaction
needed to build trust between driverless cars and passengers.
Riders experienced the autonomous test drives during the study on
June 21-23, 2017, at Intel’s autonomous test facility in Chandler,
Arizona. (Credit: Intel Corporation)
We are really close to perfecting the technology for
self-driving cars. But our driverless future won’t go anywhere if
people don’t trust it. It’s one thing for our autonomous test cars
to take us for a drive with a safety driver behind the wheel. But
soon there won’t be anyone in that seat. When will you be ready to
get in?
The promise of autonomous vehicle technology is tantalizing to
say the least. Some experts predict that we can save millions of
lives and grant mobility to all just by removing humans from the
driver’s seat. But the difference between theory and practice comes
down to this: People are downright scared of robot cars. In fact, a
recent AAA study found that 75 percent of Americans are afraid to
ride in self-driving cars.
Press Kit: Autonomous Driving
The good news is this is a solvable problem. At Intel, we
believe we can overcome consumer apprehension by creating an
interactive experience between car and rider that is informative,
helpful, and comfortable – in a word: trustworthy. Our user
experience research team showed this potential in a recent Trust
Interaction Study with autonomous car passengers.
This limited, qualitative study was conducted with consumers who
had no previous exposure to driverless cars other than those they
had seen in their city. They were invited to take a ride in a
driverless test car in exchange for their feedback about the
experience. Five trust interactions were prototyped and evaluated:
requesting a vehicle, starting a trip, making changes to the trip,
handling errors and emergencies, and pulling over and exiting. We
interviewed them before and after their ride and also recorded
their reactions during the experience.
The focus was on trusting the machine and understanding the
human-to-machine interfaces (displays, touch screens, vocal cues
and more) that provide the means for passengers to interact with
their driverless cars. Although limited in scope, the results were
unanimous. Every single participant experienced a huge leap in
their confidence level after their journey. Even those who came in
apprehensive about self-driving cars acknowledged that autonomous
vehicles are a safer mode of transportation and felt excited about
the growth of this market.
While much was learned in this study, it is only the beginning.
Our research identified seven areas of tension – or contradictory
perspectives – that warrant further exploration. Intel plans to
continue user experience research in these areas and will use our
discoveries to help the industry deliver a trustworthy driverless
car experience when the first autonomous cars start rolling down
the highway. Our autonomous future depends on it.
HMI-TRUST TENSION POINTS
Human vs. machine judgment: Participants were concerned
about the absence of human judgment in a driverless car for
handling nuanced situations like jaywalkers or other drivers
cutting ahead of the autonomous car. Yet they also expressed the
belief that self-driving vehicles will be safer because they
eliminate human error and will be more decisive than humans who are
prone to second-guessing.
Personalized space vs. lack of assistance: The idea of
having free time while riding in a self-driving vehicle inspired
many to imagine how they might use their ride time, while a few
others were apprehensive about lack of interaction with a human
driver. Parents liked the idea of transporting unaccompanied minors
without a stranger/driver present in the vehicle. However,
participants were also concerned about the lack of accountability
when there is no driver.
Awareness vs. too much information: Most participants
anticipated a learning curve to get comfortable with the autonomous
driving system. But once confidence in the system sets in, they
felt some of the alerts and communications might become bothersome
and intrusive. While safety reminders and contextual information
will be handy, they also did not want to be distracted by too much
information.
Giving up control of the vehicle vs. gaining new control of
the vehicle: For some, riding in the back seat where there were
no vehicle controls was an uneasy feeling. Even the autonomous
movement of the steering wheel caused some anxiety. Participants
discussed the benefits of removing these legacy design cues to
alleviate the nervousness. They also valued new control
experiences: the ability to summon a vehicle and unlock/open it
using a mobile device, reduced stress from not having to drive, and
perceived safety from having more “eyes” on the road.
How it works vs. proof it works: Understanding how the
technology functions and its full capabilities was paramount to
participants. At the same time, seeing and experiencing the vehicle
as it sensed and responded to what was happening around them –
proving it works – helped them gain confidence, highlighting the
importance of transparent HMI systems.
Tell me vs. listen to me: While participants were
comforted by the car’s human “voice,” many wondered if they could
use their own voice to communicate with the car. Being able to
converse and exchange information as they would with a driver was
seen as an advantage, especially if needing to make a detour,
change destination or account for changing weather conditions.
Rule-following machines vs. human interpretation of the
rules: While safety was the No. 1 factor for trust among
participants, there were nuances in their interpretation of safety.
Some participants acknowledged that their behavior as a driver was
not always safe or by the book. They talked about speeding on empty
roads, eating while driving and not stopping when required.
Participants acknowledged that the struggle between letting go of
those behaviors and accepting new ones based on system control was
a challenge they must adapt to.
Intel will continue to explore trust as a core element of
vehicle system architecture and design. We welcome you to follow
along as we share our journey in this area. For more details, hear
an explanation of our study’s topline findings in our autonomous
driving webcast replay or from our YouTube video.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170824005291/en/
Intel CorporationJack Weastautonomousdriving@intel.com
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