Human-centered challenges and contributions for the implementation of automated driving

Automated driving is expected to increase safety and efficiency of road transport. With regard to the implementation of automated driving, we observed that those aspects which need to be further developed especially relate to human capabilities. Based on this observation and the understanding that automation will most likely be applied in terms of partially automated driving, we distinguished 2 major challenges for the implementation of partially automated driving: (1) Defining appropriate levels of automation, and; (2) Developing appropriate transitions between manual control and automation. The Assisted Driver Model has provided a framework for the first challenge, because this model recommends levels of automation dependent on traffic situations. To conclude, this research also provided brief directions on the second challenge, i.e. solutions how to accommodate drivers with partially automatio

Emerging research directions in computer science : contributions from the young informatics faculty in Karlsruhe

In order to build better human-friendly human-computer interfaces, such interfaces need to be enabled with capabilities to perceive the user, his location, identity, activities and in particular his interaction with others and the machine. Only with these perception capabilities can smart systems ( for example human-friendly robots or smart environments) become posssible. In my research I\u27m thus focusing on the development of novel techniques for the visual perception of humans and their activities, in order to facilitate perceptive multimodal interfaces, humanoid robots and smart environments. My work includes research on person tracking, person identication, recognition of pointing gestures, estimation of head orientation and focus of attention, as well as audio-visual scene and activity analysis. Application areas are humanfriendly humanoid robots, smart environments, content-based image and video analysis, as well as safety- and security-related applications. This article gives a brief overview of my ongoing research activities in these areas

Privacy in the Age of Autonomous Vehicles

To prepare for the age of the intelligent, highly connected, and autonomous vehicle, a new approach to concepts of granting consent, managing privacy, and dealing with the need to interact quickly and meaningfully is needed. Additionally, in an environment where personal data is rapidly shared with a multitude of independent parties, there exists a need to reduce the information asymmetry that currently exists between the user and data collecting entities. This Article rethinks the traditional notice and consent model in the context of real-time communication between vehicles or vehicles and infrastructure or vehicles and other surroundings and proposes a re-engineering of current privacy concepts to prepare for a rapidly approaching digital future. In this future, multiple independent actors such as vehicles or other machines may seek personal information at a rate that makes the traditional informed consent model untenable. This Article proposes a two-step approach: As an attempt to meet and balance user needs for a seamless experience while preserving their rights to privacy, the first step is a less static consent paradigm able to better support personal data in systems which use machine based real-time communication and automation. In addition, the article proposes a radical re-thinking of the current privacy protection system by sharing the vision of “Privacy as a Service” as a second step, which is an independently managed method of granular technical privacy control that can better protect individual privacy while at the same time facilitating high-frequency communication in a machine-to-machine environment