Callon: a multi-user system to indicate driving style preferences in automated vehicles

E. van Zoelen, L. Peeters, F. Ye, S. Bos (2016)

Description

We believe that by 2030 car-sharing and automated vehicles will be the standard in personal transportation. Driving can be a pleasurable activity; we want to make sure that this experience doesn’t get lost when we are no longer in control of the actual driving.

Since the car is now in control of the car-ride, it is key that we trust our vehicles to transport us in a safe and comfortable way. We feel that establishing communication about preferred driving style between the car and its passengers through a multi-user system can create this feeling of trust leading to the acceptance of automated technologies.

We used an iterative design process, starting with short and quick iterations and slowly moving into details, resulting in three intermediate and one final concept. Through prototyping and acting out as well as market research we eventually designed Callon.

Callon is a coloured lighting interface showing the state of the car in terms of assertiveness and defensiveness of driving style. Through the smaller senses which are integrated in the car doors, every passenger can communicate their preferred driving style to Callon with a physical interaction.

Callon gives every passenger in the car the possibility to show their preferred driving style, making rides with family a more cooperative effort.