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Human–Vehicle Interactions
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Human–Vehicle Interactions

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Transportation and Future Mobility".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2025 | Viewed by 2805

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Alexander G. Mirnig

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, 1210 Vienna, Austria
Interests: human–computer interaction; human factors; automation technology; driving automation; machine ethics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As driving automation technology is becoming ever more sophisticated and ubiquitous, the challenges surrounding the interaction with vehicles are not diminishing but shifting and even becoming more numerous as the number of application domains and deployment contexts increases. Passenger cars, public transport, material handling and logistics, industrial vehicles and heavy machines, or low-powered two-wheelers are only some of the areas seeing automation efforts with varying degrees of implementation and equally varied interaction challenges. As a result of this ongoing transition phase from fully manual operation to increased automation, there is a wide range of different interaction demands, techniques, and interfaces that serve to manually control, react, monitor, or intervene.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect high-quality original contributions that mirror the cutting-edge state of research on human–vehicle interactions across application domains.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Automated passenger vehicles;
  • Vehicle automation interaction research;
  • In-cabin vehicle HMI research and design;
  • External vehicle HMI research and design;
  • Driver/passenger behavior and safety;
  • Remote operation and monitoring;
  • Partial automation approaches;
  • Active assistance systems for low-powered vehicles (bicycles, scooters, etc.);
  • Automated public transport;
  • Vehicle automation in industrial contexts (construction, maintenance, etc.);
  • Sustainability and fostering eco-friendly transportation through interaction design;
  • Data protection challenges in relation to designing effective interfaces and monitoring solutions;
  • Ethical challenges and concerns related to vehicle automation.

Dr. Alexander G. Mirnig
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human–vehicle interaction
  • vehicle automation
  • interaction research
  • interaction design
  • human factors
  • automation technology
  • monitoring and control
  • public, private, industrial sectors

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 807 KiB  
Article
Frequently Used Vehicle Controls While Driving: A Real-World Driving Study Assessing Internal Human–Machine Interface Task Frequencies and Influencing Factors
by Ilse M. Harms, Daniël A. M. Auerbach, Eleonora Papadimitriou and Marjan P. Hagenzieker
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(10), 5230; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105230 - 8 May 2025
Viewed by 296
Abstract
Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs) in passenger cars have become more complex over the years, with touch screens replacing physical buttons and with layered menu-structures. This can lead to distractions. The purpose of this study is to investigate how often vehicle controls are used while [...] Read more.
Human–Machine Interfaces (HMIs) in passenger cars have become more complex over the years, with touch screens replacing physical buttons and with layered menu-structures. This can lead to distractions. The purpose of this study is to investigate how often vehicle controls are used while driving and which underlying factors contribute to usage. Thirty drivers were observed during driving a familiar route twice, in their own car and in an unfamiliar car. In a 2 × 1 within-subject design, the experimenter drove along with each participant and used a predefined checklist to record how often participants interacted with specific functions of their vehicle while driving. The results showed that, in the familiar car, direction indicators are the most frequently used controls, followed by adjusting radio volume, moving the sun visor, adjusting temperature and changing wiper speed. Factors that influenced task frequencies included car familiarity, gender, age and weather conditions. The type of car also appears to impact task frequency. Participants interacted less with the unfamiliar car, compared to their own car, which may indicate drivers are regulating their mental load. These results are relevant for vehicle HMI designers to understand which functions should be easily and swiftly available while driving to reduce distraction by the HMI design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human–Vehicle Interactions)
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27 pages, 12352 KiB  
Article
Operationalizing Dyadic Urban Traffic Interaction Studies: From Theory to Practice
by Debargha Dey, Azra Habibovic and Wendy Ju
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(7), 3738; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15073738 - 28 Mar 2025
Viewed by 318
Abstract
Realistically modeling interactions between road users—like those between drivers or between drivers and pedestrians—within experimental settings come with pragmatic challenges. Due to practical constraints, research typically focuses on a limited subset of potential scenarios, raising questions about the scalability and generalizability of findings [...] Read more.
Realistically modeling interactions between road users—like those between drivers or between drivers and pedestrians—within experimental settings come with pragmatic challenges. Due to practical constraints, research typically focuses on a limited subset of potential scenarios, raising questions about the scalability and generalizability of findings about interactions to untested scenarios. Here, we aim to tackle this by laying the methodological groundwork for defining representative scenarios for dyadic (two-actor) interactions that can be analyzed individually. This paper introduces a conceptual guide for operationalizing controlled dyadic traffic interaction studies, developed through extensive interdisciplinary brainstorming to bridge theoretical models and practical experimental design. It elucidates critical trade-offs in scenario selection, interaction approaches, measurement strategies, and timing coordination, thereby enhancing reproducibility and clarity for future traffic interaction research and streamlining the design process. The methodologies and insights we provide aim to enhance the accessibility and quality of traffic interaction research, offering a guide that aids researchers in setting up studies and ensures clarity and reproducibility in reporting, bridging the gap between theoretical traffic interaction models and practical applications in controlled experiments, thereby contributing to advancements in human factors research on traffic management and safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human–Vehicle Interactions)
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39 pages, 3371 KiB  
Article
Ontology-Based Customisation Management System for Driver-Vehicle Interfaces: A Preventive Approach to Incident Reduction and Legal Accountability in Highly Automated Vehicles
by Maria Assunta Cappelli and Giovanna Di Marzo Serugendo
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031043 - 21 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1088
Abstract
This study presents the development of an ontology-based customisation management system (Onto-CMS) for driver–vehicle interfaces (DVIs) in highly automated vehicles (HAVs). The objective of the proposed system is to enhance safety, minimise the probability of accidents and address legal liability concerns. The study [...] Read more.
This study presents the development of an ontology-based customisation management system (Onto-CMS) for driver–vehicle interfaces (DVIs) in highly automated vehicles (HAVs). The objective of the proposed system is to enhance safety, minimise the probability of accidents and address legal liability concerns. The study highlights the importance of DVIs in automated vehicles and the need for safe and adaptable options for human drivers, while also considering the legal implications associated with the development of these interfaces. The research identifies the shortcomings of existing systems and proposes the Onto-CMS as a more effective alternative solution. The proposed system facilitates additional personalisation tasks and demonstrates higher performance compared to systems lacking ontological structuring. Indeed, the Onto-CMS allows dynamic adaptation to individual preferences while maintaining the integrity of standardised safety elements. It is distinguished by its ability to adjust to diverse contexts, such as those involving impaired drivers, without compromising critical safety standards. The onto-CMS reduces the need for recurrent revisions and improves operational productivity and overall usability. The results show that the Onto-CMS improves the configuration of DVIs by providing customised, scalable and context-aware alternatives. The study provides a basis for further research that could extend the system’s capabilities to cover a wider range of driver characteristics and requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human–Vehicle Interactions)
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Review

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14 pages, 2615 KiB  
Review
A Scoping Review on On-Road Risks Associated with Driving with Dementia: Implications for Driving Technology Advancements
by Carly May Walker, Makenzy Joy Herron, Alexander G. Mirnig, Andrew Kun and Sajay Arthanat
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4832; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094832 - 27 Apr 2025
Viewed by 269
Abstract
Prolonging one’s ability to drive is a significant component of aging in place and personal autonomy. However, highly prevalent neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia among older people undermine the safety associated with driving and inevitably lead to their premature [...] Read more.
Prolonging one’s ability to drive is a significant component of aging in place and personal autonomy. However, highly prevalent neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia among older people undermine the safety associated with driving and inevitably lead to their premature cessation of driving. This scoping review, based on PRISMA guidelines, extracted data from 40 research studies to highlight the on-road risks associated with driving with dementia or cognitive impairment. We identified 22 distinct risks, with speed compliance, navigation, lane adherence, turning, and stopping as the most reported risks in the identified studies. The study linked these risks to key cognitive domains and mapped out the scope of emerging driving technologies (semi-autonomous, autonomous, and aftermarket products) to address or mitigate the risks. The findings underscore the need to apply or create a framework for the design and development of inclusive driving interfaces to accommodate aging-related cognitive deficits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human–Vehicle Interactions)
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