Skip to main content

When driving becomes the distraction

utomotive supplier Faurecia and Stanford University's Center for Design Research, have formed a partnership aimed at studying potential behavioural changes in an autonomous vehicle. The organisations will share initial research findings at the Connected Car Expo during the Los Angeles Auto Show. Faurecia and Stanford have identified several important challenges the industry must address to mitigate consumer apprehension to new driving modes: Creating a Confident Occupant Experience; Safely Enabling New
November 13, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Automotive supplier Faurecia and Stanford University's Center for Design Research, have formed a partnership aimed at studying potential behavioural changes in an autonomous vehicle. The organisations will share initial research findings at the Connected Car Expo during the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Faurecia and Stanford have identified several important challenges the industry must address to mitigate consumer apprehension to new driving modes: Creating a Confident Occupant Experience; Safely Enabling New User Scenarios; Mitigating Motion Sickness.  

Faurecia and Stanford believe these and other considerations will take an increasingly important role in the future development of autonomous transportation, with more attention placed on what's happening inside the vehicle.

Dr David Sirkin of the Stanford Center for Design Research and Matthew Benson of Faurecia's xWorks innovation centre will present their research, When Driving Becomes the Distraction: Putting the Occupant Back in the Mobility Conversation, at the Connected Car Expo on 17 November.

"As the automotive industry continues its march toward autonomous vehicles, most of its efforts have been focused on creating the technology that will enable auto-pilot functionality," said Rob Huber, vice president of innovation for Faurecia. "While this is an essential foundation, Faurecia is prioritising a parallel development track focused on how we enhance the mobility experience by improving life-on-board, making comfort, customisation and connectivity a priority."

"In partnering with Faurecia, we are taking the industry's first steps toward anticipating and averting problems that autonomous-car drivers may encounter in their transition from active controllers to multi-tasking occupants of vehicles," said Sirkin. "While the industry often considers the new technologies required to keep autonomous cars safely on course, these physiological issues will require their own approaches to vehicle design and engineering."

Related Content

  • January 24, 2014
    Ford teams up with MIT and Stanford on automated driving
    Building on the automated Ford Fusion Hybrid research vehicle unveiled last month, Ford is announcing new projects with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University to research and develop solutions to some of the technical challenges surrounding automated driving. Automated driving is a key component of Ford’s Blueprint for Mobility, which outlines what transportation will look like in 2025 and beyond, along with the technologies, business models and partnerships needed to get the
  • June 4, 2015
    After two decades of research, ITS is getting into its stride
    Colin Sowman gets the global view on how ITS has shaped the way we travel today and what will shape the way we travel tomorrow. Over the past two decades the scope and spread of intelligent transport systems has grown and diversified to encompass all modes of travel while at the same time integrating and consolidating. Two decades ago the idea of detecting cyclists or pedestrians may have been considered impossible and why would you want to do that anyway? Today cyclists can account for a significant propor
  • March 19, 2015
    Car parking and parked cars need not be a technological black hole
    David Crawford mines the potential of joined-up parking. Drivers conventionally see parking as an isolated, often frustrating, action; but collectively their attempts to find a space impact hugely on traffic flows. But new analyses of parking events look set to deliver real benefits to motorists and cities alike. Initiatives getting under way around the world are highlighting the advantages of connecting up parking events and – eventually - parked cars. The hoped-for results include not only enhanced urban
  • September 8, 2014
    Xerox a founding partner in connected vehicle initiative
    Xerox joins a select group of companies, including Econolite, Iteris, Delphi, Denso, Bosch, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and General Motors, which will be the founding partners in the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC). Spanning such sectors as auto manufacturing, suppliers, ITS, insurance, telecommunications, data management, and mobility services, the MTC’s Leadership Circle will join with government and academic partners to lay the foundations for a commercially viable system of co