Flavio GRAZIAN
AutHUMate
Developing an adaptive strategy for how drivers and assisted driving systems communicate and train together, aiming to make Level 2 to 3 automation safer, clearer and more trusted across Europe.
Building Trust Between Drivers and Assisted Driving Systems
Assisted driving systems (ADS) are rolling out across Europe with the promise of reducing accidents caused by human error. In practice, many drivers hold an inaccurate picture of what their system can and cannot do. This leads either to misuse, such as a delayed response when the car hands control back, or to drivers avoiding the system altogether. Age, experience, profession and impairments all shape how much a driver trusts or rejects these functions, and unclear signals about which functions are active can slow down or misdirect a driver’s reaction in an emergency scenario.
The AutHUMate project, short for Adaptive User Training & Human-Technology Interaction Strategy for Enhanced Traffic Safety, addresses this gap. It develops a self learning human technology interaction (HTI) strategy that reads the driver’s state and the surrounding context together, so the vehicle can communicate clearly, hand over control safely and calibrate the driver’s trust over time. Alongside this, AutHUMate builds a two stage training approach: structured preparation before driving and adaptive, real time support during driving, using VR and AR tools and multimodal feedback across visual, auditory and haptic channels.
The project follows an integrated, iterative methodology in which technical development, human centred design and societal readiness move forward together. A multidisciplinary consortium of engineers, designers, cognitive scientists, psychologists and social scientists works across eight interlinked work packages, with societal readiness embedded from the start rather than added once the technology is built. Solutions are validated in driving simulators and through field operational tests, targeting technology readiness levels 6 to 7, and results are aligned with European standards to support real world deployment.
Within the consortium, UITP contributes to the project by creating the necessary link with the public transport ecosystem in relation to systems requirements and training needs. Additionally, UITP also contribute to the project’s communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement activities, helping connect AutHUMate’s findings to the wider public transport and mobility sector.
Key Facts
- Duration: April 2026 to March 2029
- Budget: € 4,021,216.79
- Coordinator: RWTH Aachen University (Institute for Automotive Engineering, ika)
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