The Impact of Autonomy-Enabled Vehicles and System Controls on Non-Users in Semi-Controlled Environments

Commercial OEMs are fast realizing the long awaited dream of self-driving trucks and cars. The technology continues to improve with major implications for the Army. In the near tear, the impact may be most profound for military installations. Many believe, however, that the major limiting factor to wide-spread automated vehicle usage will not be technology but the human element. What happens when humans through no choice of their own are compelled to interact with self-driving vehicles? We propose a mixed-methods research study that examines the complex transportation system from both a technical and social perspective. This study will inform environmental controls (rules of the road and infrastructure modifications) and increase understanding of the social dynamics involved with vehicle acceptance. Findings may pave the way for a reduction in the over $400M the Army spends annually on non-tactical vehicles and the technical improvements, grounded in dual-use use cases will be directly applicable to warfighting scenarios. INTRODUCTION Early in the development of automated vehicles, research was necessarily of the foundational technical type required to develop working robots. This involved the development of means to accurately sense the environment and vehicle condition, process these inputs into commands or behaviours, and actuate a sub-system in the vehicle to perform the desired function [1]. Early robots and autonomous vehicles interfaced with humans more than interacted with them. Human-machine interaction (HMI) is an area of research involved in improving how the machine works with a human supervisor or operator [2]. As interaction has increased and autonomous systems are becoming viewed as team members more than mere tools [3]–[5] research today is emphasizing human-machine interaction which includes understanding intentions and developing shared mental models [2], [6], [7]. Again, this research is oriented on the machine working and interacting with the human operator, supervisor, or ‘teammate’. The humans and the machine have a shared objective and the research emphasizes creating and making use of a shared mental model. But what happens when humans who are not on the team are compelled to interact with the machines through no choice of their own as we might expect when human drivers pull up to a four-way stop to find other vehicles sans driver behind the wheel? How comfortable with they be? What will they expect? What will they do and how will early experiences shape follow-on behaviour? To date, there is little research investigating the impact of autonomy-enabled vehicles on non-users or, more importantly, the factors that influence non-user perceptions of autonomy-enabled vehicles. The purpose of this study is to identify and characterize the factors that contribute to the social acceptance of autonomyenabled vehicles. We will explore how and to what extent the environment can be adjusted to improve acceptance. “While engineers tend to be most interested in how products are made, what really counts is how they are used” [8, p. 7]. This study will inform policy and deployment strategies leading to better use of resources, safer deployment, and increased technology acceptance. Military bases provide a unique opportunity to study the impact of autonomy-enabled vehicles on non-users1. Commercial companies are focused on improving technology to accommodate any and every circumstance. 1 Recently, experiments by Google and the UK government have been announced which will attempt to learn more about the autonomous vehicles and their impact. Detailed information on specific research questions and research design are not currently available. See this article from IEEE and this article from the BBC for press release information. Proceedings of the 2015 Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS) The Impact of Autonomy-Enabled Vehicles and System Controls on Non-Users in Semi-Controlled Environments. Edward Straub