Editorial for Special Issue: Test and Evaluation Methods for Human-Machine Interfaces of Automated Vehicles

Today, OEMs and suppliers can rely on commonly agreed and standardized test and evaluation methods for in-vehicle human–machine interfaces (HMIs). These have traditionally focused on the context of manually driven vehicles and put the evaluation of minimizing distraction effects and enhancing usability at their core (e.g., AAM guidelines or NHTSA visual-manual distraction guidelines). However, advances in automated driving systems (ADS) have already begun to change the driver’s role from actively driving the vehicle to monitoring the driving situation and being ready to intervene in partially automated driving (SAE L2). Higher levels of vehicle automation will likely only require the driver to act as a fallback ready user in case of system limits and malfunctions (SAE L3) or could even act without any fallback within their operational design domain (SAE L4). During the same trip, different levels of automation might be available to the driver (e.g., L2 in urban environments, L3 on highways). These developments require new test and evaluation methods for ADS, as available test methods cannot be easily transferred and adapted. The shift towards higher levels of vehicle automation has also moved the discussion towards the interaction between automated and non-automated road users using exterior HMIs. This Special Issue includes theoretical papers a well as empirical studies that deal with these new challenges by proposing new and innovative test methods in the evaluation of ADS HMIs in different areas.