Intoxication and cognitive impairment are among the major contributors to traffic accidents and decreased traffic safety. The current pilot study focused on identifying and exploring behavioral and physiological markers of intoxication using a simulated driving environment. Eight participants were tested under two conditions: control (sober) and moderately intoxicated (0.05-0.10% BAC (blood alcohol concentration)). Participants engaged in a driving simulation while data was collected via EEG, eye-tracking, and driver behavior sensors (e.g., steering input). Results from our pilot study indicated that pupil diameters during critical driving events (e.g., turns, overtakes, and collision avoidance) were higher under control conditions compared to intoxicated conditions. Moreover, intoxication led to higher mean acceleration magnitude, greater variability in acceleration and speed, and a lower mean speed. The results also revealed distinct patterns of neural activity associated with alcohol intoxication, particularly in the Pre-Frontal brain region. This study aimed to lay the groundwork for developing algorithms for automating the detection of intoxication and assessing driver fitness.

The rise of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) requires reevaluating emergency procedures and teamwork dynamics. This study examines man overboard (MOB) emergencies on small passenger ferries, comparing a single onboard operator setup (baseline) to one including a Remote Operations Center (ROC) operator. Data from document reviews, observations, questionnaires, and interviews with three mariners revealed gaps between written procedures and actual practices due to contextual constraints and technological limitations. The ROC setup showed potential for task relief for the onboard operator but highlighted the need for enhanced technology and improved remote situational awareness. This study explores the impact of increasing automation, ROC integration, and reduced onboard manning on MOB procedures, teamwork, communication, and passengers, and discusses further work needed to maintain safety on small MASS ferries.

The self-explanatory interchange point Interchange points such as train stations and bus stops are full of visual information and other sensory impressions. In these environments, it can be difficult to navigate and too many impressions can cause visual stress, especially for groups with reduced orientation ability. What is a pleasant and simple visual search and movement for someone can be challenging for someone else. It can add another level to the design of a bus stop if you start from functionality based on what happens in the human brain and emotional life – which can differ greatly between different individuals. Since people's perception of their surroundings differs so much, there is a challenge in creating a common environment that suits everyone as well as possible and that can also be individualized so that each person's needs are met. The purpose of this project has been to investigate how interchange points can be made easier and more obvious to navigate, and at the same time reduce or limit visual stress. Another task for the project was to specifically consider travelers with intellectual and cognitive disabilities. The project consisted of making a literature review of relevant research in the field, as well as conducting a design analysis and developing concept proposals that could be tested and evaluated in a follow-up project. The project group consisted of researchers from RISE, research designers from Boid Design Agency, City of Borås, as well as technology suppliers Viscando, Tobii and Fagerhult. The selected interchange points that were investigated in the project were the Central Station and Södra Torget in Borås. The literature review (See Chapter 3 and Appendix 1) showed that there is a lack of research in the area of interchange points, navigation, design and intellectual and cognitive disabilities. General principles for facilitating navigation could be identified, and some publications suggest various interventions in the environment that can facilitate wayfinding, for example in lighting, landmarks and signs. However, there is a lack of robust follow-ups of which measures have the desired effect. There is also a lack of follow-up on what is specifically helpful or problematic for the project's target groups. This could possibly be explained by the fact that it is difficult to investigate an environment where so many different things are happening at the same time, which makes it challenging to determine what effect a specific part of the environment has on people's navigation skills. However, the literature pointed out important aspects to consider, design principles, as well as suggestions for possible improvement measures. In the design analysis (chapter 4), interviews were conducted with experts on disability from the municipality. The process also involved site visits, development of user journeys and a co-creation idea workshop. The process then resulted in eight different concept proposals based on what emerged in the literature study and the design analysis. The concepts concern individual aids, digital aids, awareness-raising measures for inclusion, lighting and signs. As a next step, we propose to proceed with two of the concepts for testing and evaluation in particular, 1. The empathy campaign and 8. Light harmony. A discussion of the project's results and next steps can be found in chap. 6.

Bytespunkter såsom tågstationer och busshållplatser är fulla med visuell information och andra sinnesintryck. I dessa miljöer kan det vara svårt att navigera och summan av alla intryck som förmedlas kan orsaka visuell stress, särskilt för grupper med nedsatt orienteringsförmåga eller kognitiv förmåga. Det som är en behaglig och enkel visuell sökning och rörelse för någon kan vara utmanade för någon annan. Det kan tillföra ytterligare en förbättrad nivå till bytesplatsens utformning om man utgår från funktionalitet baserat på vad som händer i den mänskliga hjärnan och känslolivet – vilket kan skilja mycket mellan olika människor. Eftersom människors perception av omgivningen skiljer sig så pass mycket åt finns en utmaning i att skapa en gemensam miljö som passar alla så bra som möjligt och som samtidigt går att individanpassa så att varje person får sina behov tillgodosedda. Det här projektet har haft som syfte att undersöka hur bytespunkter kan bli lättare och mer självklara att navigera i, och samtidigt minska eller begränsa visuell stress. En annan uppgift för projektet var att ta hänsyn till resenärer med intellektuella och kognitiva funktionsvariationer. Projektet bestod av att göra en litteraturöversikt över relevant forskning på området, samt genomföra en designanalys och utveckla konceptförslag som skulle kunna testas och utvärderas i ett uppföljande projekt. Projektgruppen bestod av forskare från RISE, forskningsdesigner från Boid designbyrå, Borås Stad, samt teknikleverantörer Viscando, Tobii och Fagerhult. De utvalda bytespunkterna som undersöktes i projektet var Centralstationen och Södra torget i Borås. Litteraturöversikten (Se kap. 3 samt bilaga 1) visade att det saknas forskning på området kring bytespunkter, navigering, design och intellektuella och kognitiva funktionsvariationer. Allmänna principer för att underlätta navigering kunde identifieras, och en del publikationer föreslår olika interventioner i miljön som kan underlätta wayfinding, exempelvis inom belysning, landmärken och skyltar. Dock saknas robusta uppföljningar av vilka åtgärder som har önskad effekt. Det saknas också uppföljning kring vad som är specifikt hjälpsamt eller problematiskt för projektets målgrupper. Detta kan möjligen förklaras av att det är svårt att undersöka en miljö där så många olika saker händer samtidigt, vilket gör det utmanande att avgöra vilken effekt en specifik del av miljön har på människors navigeringsförmåga. Litteraturen pekade dock ut viktiga aspekter att ta hänsyn till, designprinciper, samt gav förslag på möjliga förbättringsåtgärder. I designanalysen (kap. 4) genomfördes intervjuer med sakkunniga inom funktionshinder från kommunen, platsbesök, utveckling av användarresor och en samskapande idéworkshop. Processen resulterade sedan i åtta olika konceptförslag (kap. 5) baserat på det som framkommit i litteraturstudien och designanalysen. Koncepten berör individuella hjälpmedel, digitala hjälpmedel, kunskapshöjande åtgärder för inkludering, belysning och skyltar. Som ett nästa steg föreslår vi att gå vidare med framförallt två av koncepten för testning och utvärdering, 1. Empatikampanj och 8. Ljusharmoni. Ett resonemang kring projektets resultat och nästa steg finns i kap. 6.

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) refer to vessels that can be remotely controlled or operate independently of human interaction to a higher degree. This report is part of the deliverables in the project “Policy Lab Urban Zeas (PLUZ)” exploring the safety case for automated public ferry transport based on pioneering trials with the ferry MF Estelle crossing Riddarfjärden in Stockholm. This report takes a Human Factors perspective on current and envisioned future operations including a shift of the human operator from ship to shore. It highlights incremental development stages towards establishing a Remote Operations Centre (ROC), from which an operator will supervise Estelle. The adaptation of operator tasks, functions, and responsibilities from ship to shore is shortly discussed, and so is the distribution of tasks and teamwork between the ROC operator and the remaining on-board passenger attendant.

This study investigates interactive behaviors and communication cues of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists as a means of informing the interactive capabilities of highly automated HGVs. Following a general framing of road traffic interaction, we conducted a systematic literature review of empirical HGV-VRU studies found through the databases Scopus, ScienceDirect and TRID. We extracted reports of interactive road user behaviors and communication cues from 19 eligible studies and categorized these into two groups: 1) the associated communication channel/mechanism (e.g., nonverbal behavior), and 2) the type of communication cue (implicit/explicit). We found the following interactive behaviors and communication cues: 1) vehicle-centric (e.g., HGV as a larger vehicle, adapting trajectory, position relative to the VRU, timing of acceleration to pass the VRU, displaying information via human-machine interface), 2) driver-centric (e.g., professional driver, present inside/outside the cabin, eye-gaze behavior), and 3) VRU-centric (e.g., racer cyclist, adapting trajectory, position relative to the HGV, proximity to other VRUs, eye-gaze behavior). These cues are predominantly based on road user trajectories and movements (i.e., kinesics/proxemics nonverbal behavior) forming implicit communication, which indicates that this is the primary mechanism for HGV-VRU interactions. However, there are also reports of more explicit cues such as cyclists waving to say thanks, the use of turning indicators, or new types of external human-machine interfaces (eHMI). Compared to corresponding scenarios with light vehicles, HGV-VRU interaction patterns are to a high extent formed by the HGV’s size, shape and weight. For example, this can cause VRUs to feel less safe, drivers to seek to avoid unnecessary decelerations and accelerations, or lead to strategic behaviors due to larger blind-spots. Based on these findings, it is likely that road user trajectories and kinematic behaviors will form the basis for communication also for highly automated HGV-VRU interaction. However, it might also be beneficial to use additional eHMI to compensate for the loss of more social driver-centric cues or to signal other types of information. While controlled experiments can be used to gather such initial insights, deeper understanding of highly automated HGV-VRU interactions will also require naturalistic studies. Copyright © 2022 Fabricius, Habibovic, Rizgary, Andersson and Wärnestål.

The present study investigated the attitudes and acceptance of automated shuttles in public transport among 340 individuals physically experiencing the automated shuttle ‘Emily’ from Easymile in a mixed traffic environment on the semi-public EUREF (Europäisches Energieforum) campus in Berlin. Automated vehicle acceptance was modelled as a function of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) constructs performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, the Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT) constructs compatibility and trialability, as well as trust and automated shuttle sharing. The results show that after adding the DIT constructs, automated shuttle sharing, and trust to the model, the effect of performance expectancy on behavioural intention was no longer significant. Instead, compatibility with current travel was the strongest predictor of behavioural intention to use automated shuttles. It was further found that individuals who are willing to share rides in an automated shuttle with fellow travelers (i.e., automated shuttle sharing) and who trust automated shuttles (i.e., trust) are more likely to intend to use automated shuttles (i.e., behavioural intention). The highest mean rating was obtained for believing that automated shuttles are easy to use, while the lowest mean rating was obtained for feeling safe inside the automated shuttle without any type of supervision. The analysis revealed a preference for the supervision of the automated shuttle via an external control room to the supervision by a human steward onboard. We recommend future research to investigate the hypothesis that compatibility could serve as an even stronger predictor of the behavioural intention to use automated shuttles in public transport than performance expectancy. © 2021 The Author(s)