On the occasion of the Pays de la Loire Energie Tour, Territoire Energie Mayenne will meet you at the Laval Virtual Center on September 21 to talk about sustainable mobility and virtual reality. One of the topics will be self-driving vehicles in the future.
Will self-driving cars stop if they cross? A team of researchers conducted the test in virtual reality before crossing the street, pedestrians must be confident that oncoming traffic will stop. Could they have a high level of confidence if all vehicles were self-driving?
What affects pedestrians’ confidence in self-driving vehicles?
The University of Michigan conducted a user study using virtual reality. All using multi-directional mats like the ones used in the Laval Virtual Center.
“Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users according to the research team.” If we want widespread adoption of self-driving vehicles, we need to trust those inside and outside the vehicles. And be comfortable with moving vehicles.”
The team placed the study participants in a unique virtual reality facility. Equipped with a multi-directional treadmill that allows walking in any direction. The participants had to move three balls, one after the other. From side to side street by simulating the traffic of self-driving vehicles at full speed. For researchers, there is an ideal level of pedestrian confidence that makes them feel comfortable. Everyone should cross roads, but not to the point of encouraging risky behavior. The autonomous vehicles of the future could adapt their driving behavior to achieve this level of confidence.
Overconfidence in pedestrians!
“Pedestrians perceive the traffic light as a higher authority. They expected vehicles to stop no matter how aggressive the self-driving car was.” The team also found that greater confidence made pedestrians walk more on the road. And also to get close to the cars as they pass and have a lower look at the oncoming cars. Excessive confidence of pedestrians at traffic lights
“It’s an overconfidence problem, which can lead to accidents or injuries,” the research team said. For researchers, there is an ideal level of pedestrian confidence that makes them feel comfortable crossing roads. Not to the point of encouraging risky behavior. The autonomous vehicles of the future will have to adapt their driving style to achieve this level of confidence.
What solutions to avoid accidents?
More visual contact between pedestrians and vehicles is required In addition, the results of the study could help cars better predict the actions of pedestrians. Use behaviors such as eye contact as an indicator of trust. This will be detected by cameras in front of the vehicles which will determine if pedestrians have made visual contact with approaching vehicles. A working paper titled “Pedestrians’ Confidence in Motorized Vehicles”: The Role of Traffic Lights and Audiovisual Driving Behavior has been published in the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI. The research is supported in part by the Toyota Research Institute and the National Science Foundation.
September 21: The fourth edition of the Pays de la Loire Energy Tour with Mayenne Energy Region and Laval Virtual As part of the fourth edition of the Pays de la Loire Energy Tour, Mayenne Energy Region, in partnership with Laval Virtual, invites you to a morning session on the topic of Mobility 2.0 on Tuesday September 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Laval Virtual Center. Free and open to the general public, this event will be an opportunity to explore sustainable mobility from a virtual reality perspective. In the program: conferences and round tables with mobility experts in the presence of experts from Laval Virtual, from the automotive sector of ESTACA as well as ESTACARS students and their electric car.
inscriptions: https://www.weezevent.com/matinaledelamobilite
