Introducing ROADS: A Systematic Comparison of Remote Control Interaction Concepts for Automated Vehicles at Road Works

2025-02-18

AI Summary

Remote intervention for autonomous vehicles in complex scenarios—such as road construction—poses significant human factors challenges, necessitating effective human–machine interface (HMI) designs that balance usability, cognitive load, and operational reliability. Method: This study conducts the first human-centered comparative experiment on remote control interaction paradigms, systematically evaluating three HMI approaches—path planning, trajectory guidance, and waypoint guidance—using a within-subject design on a real-time multi-vehicle simulation platform. Performance was assessed via the System Usability Scale (SUS), NASA-TLX cognitive workload, task completion rate, and subjective satisfaction. Contribution/Results: Path planning significantly outperformed the other two paradigms (SUS = 78.2; highest task completion rate), while trajectory guidance yielded the lowest success rate. All 23 participants unanimously preferred path planning. The findings reveal critical trade-offs in human–autonomy collaboration under complex roadwork conditions, providing empirical evidence and design guidelines for high-reliability remote monitoring HMIs.

Technology Category

Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine TeamsIntelligent Robots: Human-Robot InteractionPlanning, Routing, and Scheduling: Activity and Plan Recognition

Application Category

Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomyEconomics, Online Markets and Human Computation: LLM based quality controls for crowd workUser Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Metrics for user behavior and evaluating success

Abstract

As vehicle automation technology continues to mature, there is a necessity for robust remote monitoring and intervention features. These are essential for intervening during vehicle malfunctions, challenging road conditions, or in areas that are difficult to navigate. This evolution in the role of the human operator - from a constant driver to an intermittent teleoperator - necessitates the development of suitable interaction interfaces. While some interfaces were suggested, a comparative study is missing. We designed, implemented, and evaluated three interaction concepts (path planning, trajectory guidance, and waypoint guidance) with up to four concurrent requests of automated vehicles in a within-subjects study with N=23 participants. The results showed a clear preference for the path planning concept. It also led to the highest usability but lower satisfaction. With trajectory guidance, the fewest requests were resolved. The study's findings contribute to the ongoing development of HMIs focused on the remote assistance of automated vehicles.

Problem

• Comparing remote control interaction concepts
• Enhancing automated vehicle teleoperation interfaces
• Assessing usability and satisfaction of interaction methods

Innovation

• Remote control interaction concepts
• Path planning preference
• Comparative study implementation