Human-vehicle interaction for autonomous vehicles in crosswalk scenarios: Field experiments with pedestrians and passengers

Abstract: This paper presents the results of real-world testing of human-vehicle interactions with an autonomous vehicle equipped with internal and external Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) in a crosswalk scenario. The internal and external HMIs were combined with implicit communication techniques using gentle and aggressive braking maneuvers in the crosswalk. Results have been collected in the form of questionnaires and measurable variables such as distance or speed when the pedestrian decides to cross. The questionnaires show that pedestrians feel safer when the external HMI or the gentle braking maneuver is used interchangeably, while the measured variables show that external HMI only helps in combination with the gentle braking maneuver. The questionnaires also show that internal HMI only improves passenger confidence in combination with the aggressive braking maneuver.