AutoAmbiCar: Using Ambient Light to Inform Drivers About Intentions of Their Automated Cars

In the coming age of automation, drivers of automated vehicles will need to be assisted. First, because humans are bad at observing a system's state over long periods of time. But they will have to do so as long as they are expected to take over in certain situations (NHTSA Level 3). Second, because we assume that the operator's trust and overall comfort will depend on the predictability of the car's behavior and if the operator feels safe with its driving style, even with full automation (Level 4). We designed and implemented an ambient light display inside the vehicle to communicate the short term plans, or "intentions", to the passengers. This is not only relevant for Level 3 automation, where this might help operators to keep informed, but also in Level 4 automation, where the communication of the car's intention might increase the driver's trust. The results of our initial experiments are promising, but more research has to be done to validate this.