About
Future mobility explores the interaction between people and the future means of transportation in all its diversity of forms. Projects address the interaction with automated vehicles as well as the user experience of shared mobility concepts and public transport, using Artificial Intelligence for optimized user experience. Research focuses on the transition of control from automated vehicles to the driver, innovative cock-pit design, transforming the interior to multi-functional spaces and on the way that transport changes and supports experience and comfort. Beyond safety, we strongly focus supporting pleasurable, aesthetic, intuitive, comfortable, user adaptive travel experiences through the design of novel means of multi-modal interaction technologies that go beyond the visual domain, including haptics, sounds, shape-change and affective computing and wearables and psycho-physiological design. In particular, we consider how these technologies can support the development of sustainable and safe mobility concepts that support social equity. We investigate how passengers will interact with automated vehicles when control is transferred, including concepts such as teleoperated driving. How automated vehicles interact with other road users such as pedestrians or how we will make use of space and time when travelling.
Mobility
Our world is facing a large societal challenges coming from the growing demand for mobility and its impact on our environment. The traffic network in Europe, and also outside Europe, is reaching its limits. A small disruption can easily lead to large traffic jams. Our transportation means have very bad effect on our environment and global warming because of high emission values. Furthermore, globally we have 1.2 million deadly accidents each year. These phenomena all contribute to a decrease in freedom and enjoyment of driving, are dangerous for our health and are very costly for our society.
Strategic area TU/e
The TU/e sees technology as an important solution for minimizing the negative effects of mobility. Traditionally, the TU/e has expertise in the areas of vehicle technology, logistics, planning systems and ICT/embedded systems. This expertise is necessary to play a meaningful role in the transition to smarter and more sustainable mobility. For this reason, Smart Mobility is one of the three strategic areas of the university.
Industrial Design
The department of Industrial Design is a faculty that combines technology and creativity. We create intelligent systems, products and related services in a societal context. We work on technological solutions for mobility and other subjects but have a high focus on the human user.
Challenges
In our design squad, we work on five challenges:
- Automated driving
- Adaptive interiors
- Change from ownership to mobility as a service
- Sustainability
- Connectivity & Internet of Things
Each semester, a few more concrete topics are selected for defining project briefs.
Automated driving
It is almost market-ready and is expected to revolutionize the driving experience. How will we interact with these vehicles (inside & outside) and how does the future interior support our needs such as non-driving activities?
Adaptive interiors
Novel interactive materials such as smart textiles and metamaterials will support the design of more comfortable and responsive and adaptive vehicle interiors to both increase pleasure in driving and support shared car ownership by adapting to different drivers and styles.
Change from ownership to mobility as a service
Urbanization decreases the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of private transportation. Also, the trend towards a Sharing Economy has resulted in initiatives for joint ownership in diverse forms and ride- or car-sharing programs.
Sustainability
Solar powered vehicles will impose interesting challenges in terms of changing drivers behaviour to increase power-efficiency, but also lightweight 3D-printed structures and bio-based materials will support weight reduction as well as circularity.
Connectivity and Internet of Things
People and Things are inter-connected 24/7. Developments such as connected cars extend this into the mobility domain. People want to remain connected while on the go and cars themselves are a huge data source, offering new opportunities to the users and society with clear links to the Internet of Things and Big Data.