Sonic Interaction in Intelligent Cars

Purpose and goal

The introduction of highly automated cars involves a radical change in the interaction between the vehicles and their users. Information and features that were previously useful may no longer have a function, while new information and interaction may need to be implemented. The main goal of this project is to explore how audio interaction can be used to support the user experience in future self-driving vehicles. The project seeks answers to the following main questions:

1. What are the roles of sonic interaction in future unsupervised automated driving?

2. Can usefulness, and the users' sense of trust, safety and comfort in vehicles be affected by sonic interaction?

3. How do different sound designs and sound generation methods affect people's behavior, mood, emotions and well-being in the vehicle?

Challenge

Today, there is limited knowledge about how interaction design should be designed for self-driving cars. The challenges in this project are partly to understand the users' future needs. Furthermore, challenges lie in finding suitable solutions for audio interaction, as well as being able to test the solutions in a way that gives a reliable result.

Solution

The project will develop new sound design concepts adapted for self-driving cars. The concepts are implemented in a VR environment as well as in test vehicles and are evaluated with users in at least three studies.

Effect

The project is expected to generate new insights about the importance and potential of sound in future vehicles. Other projects are looking at interaction design for self-driving cars. The result of this project complements these works. The project's results will contribute to an enhanced user experience in self-driving vehicles, which can lead to a faster broad-scale introduction to the market. Such an introduction is expected to generate significant positive effects both in terms of road safety and the environmental impact of transport. In addition, the project can increase the competitiveness of Swedish industry.

More information

Read more about the project and get the latest updates on the project website: https://siicproject.wordpress.com