Automation as a research topic

Automation in the transport sector is a broad area of research that concerns everything from the technical functions of vehicles to human behaviour and legislation. The research at VTI spans several themes, where common challenges are how automated systems work in complex traffic environments, how safety can be guaranteed when manual and automated vehicles coexist on the roads, and how usability is experienced by different groups, such as the elderly.

A central focus is human-machine interaction (HMI), where the research examines how vehicles communicate with pedestrians and other road users. Other important areas are remote control and monitoring, legal barriers and the need for new regulations, as well as the development of test and demonstration environments to create realistic conditions for the mobility of the future.

Automation is not just a technical issue – it requires collaboration between research, industry and government. VTI is working together with actors such as Chalmers, LiU, the Swedish Transport Agency and Drive Sweden to develop solutions that work in both urban environments and sparsely populated areas, from autonomous buses to delivery robots and new business models.

Projects in automation

Human-Machine Interaction (HMI)

How vehicles communicate with pedestrians, other road users or drivers.
Contact: Anna Anund , My Weidel, Jiali Fu , Stina Larsson , Jesper Sandin.

Safety in mixed traffic

Challenges with the mix of manual and automated vehicles and pedestrians.
Contact: Daniel Rudmark, Jesper Sandin, Jiali Fu

Technical limitations in the real environment

How systems work (and don't work) in complex traffic environments and weather.
Contact: Jesper Sandin,
Project example: Ride the Future, Arctic Mobility

Regulatory/Regulatory Barriers

Regulatory/law-specific obstacles Lack of or unclear legislation regarding autonomous vehicles and remote control.
Contact: Jeanette Andersson

Remote Control/Monitoring

Need for human control or remote control of autonomous systems.
Contact: Pia Kristiansson, Daniel Rudmark.
Project example: Ride the Future

Test and demonstration environments

Need for realistic, long-term test arenas in different types of environments.
Contact: Anna Anund, My Weidel, Ingrid Skogsmo, Jonas Jansson, Pia Kristiansson, Cilli Sobiech
Project example: Vallastaden Ride the Future, Arctic Mobility Arena

User perspective/usability

How different user groups, especially the elderly, interact with the systems and what they find useful.
Contact: Pia Kristiansson, Stina Larsson.