Call for bachelor thesis: Interaction between pedestrians and automated vehicles

The introduction of automated vehicles will change the way road users communicate and interact with each other. As the role of the driver changes (no longer existing or no longer attentive), forms of communication with non-motorized road users, such as eye contact or gestures, are eliminated. Research to replace such communication is increasingly taking place (e.g. external Human Machine Interfaces, eHMI), but there are also approaches to let the interaction be further determined by the driving dynamics (braking, accelerating, ...). Such so-called implicit, dynamic communication could also improve the subjective safety perception of pedestrians and cyclists without suffering from the disadvantages of eHMIs (e.g., they can be erroneous and are open to multiple interpretations, in terms of meaning and addressees). While braking of moving vehicles in a straight line has been widely studied as a means of communication for pedestrians, there are still few studies on the transferability of such findings to more complex situations (such as urban intersections).

Task:

The goal of the thesis is to conduct and analyse a computer based lab experiment that examines implicit communication between pedestrians and automated vehicles. Within the writing of the thesis, there will also be a literature review on the topic and derivation to the research question.

Other:

• This thesis is offered for processing starting in October/November 2021 for  Psychology students

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Marie Kühn.

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