Continental develops a comprehensive human-machine interaction solution specifically designed for autonomous vehicles

 According to foreign media reports, in order to increase the public's acceptance and confidence in autonomous driving travel solutions, the technology company Continental is developing a set of overall solutions for human-machine interaction functions, which are designed specifically for autonomous vehicles and are developed based on Continental's unmanned driving technology research and development platform CUbE. At present, autonomous shuttle buses or robot taxis that are tested along specific routes will pave the way for future driverless cars, which will be able to smoothly drive in complex traffic scenarios. However, before driverless cars can be widely seen on urban roads, robot taxis must win the acceptance and trust of the public. Ensuring safety, accessibility, comfort and providing an immersive in-vehicle experience will increase the acceptance of such vehicles and ultimately achieve large-scale popularization.

Continental's holistic human-machine solution can lay the foundation for the mass adoption of driverless cars by providing users with an end-to-end experience that goes beyond booking a car and transporting passengers to their destination. The concept can help passengers plan their next trip and provide relevant information about social events. Most importantly, it can ensure the safety of passengers in the driverless car and pedestrians around the driverless car, and provide smart cities and service providers with the opportunity to implement customized services.

At CES 2020, Continental will demonstrate how users can book a shuttle and reserve seats through a smartphone app. While passengers are waiting for the shuttle, the app will constantly track the location of the shuttle. When the shuttle arrives at the pick-up location, a personalized welcome message will greet the user. Passengers will be able to view complete travel information, local services, and various vehicle notifications displayed in a dynamic timeline on a large display. Passengers will also have an audio experience that complements the visual elements in the car, and will hear ambient sounds that are synchronized with the vehicle's movement and inform the latest information on travel status and trip events.

As the vehicle drives through the city, it will display real-time information about attractions and the latest cultural and social events, allowing cities and service providers to reach customers through customized services. Before arriving at the destination, the vehicle will also display connected transportation information. For example, passengers will know the departure time of the next train or shuttle bus to reach their next destination.

The primary need for autonomous vehicles is safety, both for passengers and pedestrians. Continental's integrated human-machine interface reacts and communicates when a pedestrian is detected walking into the shuttle's path. The vehicle's sensors register the presence of pedestrians and verify it through an easy-to-understand audio-visual interface that tolerates certain optical defects, such as color blindness. The vehicle's exterior display with information graphics will display the information detected by the sensors to inform pedestrians or other vehicles that the shuttle is aware of their presence. In addition, the vehicle will make a sound to communicate with pedestrians, indicating that the vehicle has sensed the presence of pedestrians in the path and reminding pedestrians to move away. If the vehicle stops to let pedestrians go first, the passengers in the vehicle will also receive a corresponding notification message.

Continental is actively focusing on all development opportunities in the field of mobility and responding to opportunities and adjustments related to driverless cars. The overall human-machine interface concept is one example of how Continental builds technology modules that increase the feasibility of driverless cars.