Perceived safety is critical for wide driverless car adoption: Pony.ai CEO

Key Concepts:

• Safety vs. Perceived Safety: The distinction between actual safety and the feeling of safety experienced by passengers.
• Human-like Driving Comfort: Mimicking human driving styles to increase passenger comfort and trust.
• HMI (Human-Machine Interface): The in-vehicle interface used to communicate information and provide a sense of safety to passengers.
• Consumer Acceptance: How readily people accept and adapt to autonomous driving technology.

Autonomous Driving Vehicle Design Principles

The speaker emphasizes that the design of autonomous driving vehicles prioritizes not only actual safety but also perceived safety. This is crucial for consumer acceptance. The speaker's initial experience in a driverless car with a safety driver present was one of curiosity and interest, but the absence of a safety driver raises questions about how they would react in the future.

Achieving Perceived Safety

The speaker details two key methods for achieving perceived safety:

1. Human-like Driving Comfort: The autonomous driving system is designed to emulate human driving styles. This includes smooth acceleration, deceleration, and lane changes, avoiding abrupt or jerky movements that might unsettle passengers.
2. HMI (Human-Machine Interface): The in-vehicle interface plays a vital role in communicating information to passengers and providing reassurance. This could include displaying the vehicle's planned route, sensor data showing the detection of surrounding objects, or explanations of the vehicle's decision-making process.

Passenger Experience and Adaptation

The speaker shares that, based on their experience, passengers typically adapt to the autonomous driving experience relatively quickly. After approximately 3-4 minutes, riders begin to treat the vehicle like a typical human-driven taxi. They start using their phones, looking at their phones, or even taking naps, indicating a level of comfort and trust in the system.

Conclusion

The main takeaway is that consumer acceptance of autonomous driving technology hinges on both actual safety and perceived safety. By designing vehicles that drive in a human-like manner and utilizing HMIs to communicate effectively with passengers, it is possible to build trust and encourage widespread adoption of autonomous driving. The speaker's experience suggests that passengers can quickly become comfortable with the technology, provided that the system is designed with their comfort and peace of mind in mind.