A Review of Virtual Reality Studies on Autonomous Vehicle--Pedestrian Interaction

Abstract

An increasing number of studies employ virtual reality (VR) to evaluate interactions between autonomous vehicles (AVs) and pedestrians. VR simulators are valued for their cost-effectiveness, flexibility in developing various traffic scenarios, safe conduct of user studies, and acceptable ecological validity. Reviewing the literature between 2010 and 2020, we found 31 empirical studies using VR as a testing apparatus for both implicit and explicit communication. By performing a systematic analysis, we identified current coverage of critical use cases, obtained a comprehensive account of factors influencing pedestrian behavior in simulated traffic scenarios, and assessed evaluation measures. Based on the findings, we present a set of recommendations for implementing VR pedestrian simulators and propose directions for future research.

References in corpus (2)

• Designing for Projection-based Communication between Autonomous Vehicles and Pedestrians
• The Future of Pedestrian Automated Vehicle Interactions

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Simulating Wearable Urban Augmented Reality Experiences in VR: Lessons Learnt from Designing Two Future Urban Interfaces
• How Can Autonomous Vehicles Convey Emotions to Pedestrians? A Review of Emotionally Expressive Non-Humanoid Robots
• Exploring the Impact of Interconnected External Interfaces in Autonomous Vehicleson Pedestrian Safety and Experience
• Exploring Holistic HMI Design for Automated Vehicles: Insights from a Participatory Workshop to Bridge In-Vehicle and External Communication