Creating informed public acceptance by a user-centered human-machine interface for all automated transport modes

Increasing automation is ongoing in all areas of transport. This raises new challenges for the design and training of Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) for different user groups. The EU-project Drive2theFuture investigates the needs and wants of transportation users, operators, passengers and passersby to gain their acceptance and to set the ground for a sustainable market introduction of automated transport. This paper describes how HMI concepts for the transport modes road, rail, maritime and aviation in Drive2theFuture are developed and comparatively assessed in order to be able to support an educated use of automated transport. By relying on a stepwise process, adaptable HMI strategies for different user clusters and levels of automation are defined. As a universal method, a comprehensive HMI development toolkit is developed, which can be adopted as training tool to create realistic expectations and enhance acceptance among users, operators and drivers in light of the deployment of automated vehicles.