Pedestrian Gaze Response for Autonomous Vehicle Perception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pedestrians feel compromised safety when interacting with autonomous vehicles due to lack of human presence and perceive vehicles as moving faster based on their gaze direction relative to the vehicle's motion, leading to negative feelings.
Innovation Solution
A system in vehicles determines if a pedestrian's eye trajectory is opposite the vehicle's travel direction and modifies the pedestrian's perception by adjusting the vehicle's representation in extended reality devices or through connected systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the vehicle operates in autonomous mode with minimal human presence, then automation level is improved, but pedestrian perception of safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses eye-tracking technology as an intermediary system to detect pedestrian gaze direction and use this information to adjust vehicle behavior. The eye-tracking system mediates between the autonomous vehicle's operation and pedestrian perception, allowing the vehicle to adapt its speed and communication signals based on detected eye trajectories, thereby improving pedestrian safety perception while maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes operational parameters of the autonomous vehicle based on detected pedestrian eye trajectories. When a pedestrian's eyes are detected moving toward the vehicle, the system modifies vehicle speed and activates communication signals. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the automated system to pedestrian psychological needs without reducing automation level.
2Productivity
If the vehicle travels at higher speed, then productivity is improved, but pedestrian perceived speed increases leading to negative feelings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the vehicle's speed and communication signals are adjusted based on real-time detection of pedestrian eye trajectories. When pedestrians are detected looking at the vehicle, the system reduces speed and activates signals to modify perceived speed. This feedback mechanism allows the vehicle to maintain productivity while dynamically adjusting to pedestrian perception needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the vehicle's speed and communication behavior dynamic rather than static. The system continuously monitors pedestrian eye movements and adjusts operational parameters in real-time. This dynamic adaptation allows the vehicle to optimize both productivity and pedestrian perception by changing speed and signal activation based on current pedestrian attention state.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the vehicle modifies its behavior to improve pedestrian perception, then pedestrian safety perception is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a multi-functional sensor system that performs both primary autonomous navigation and secondary pedestrian eye-tracking functions. The same sensor array used for obstacle detection is also utilized for detecting pedestrian gaze direction, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware and reducing overall system complexity while enabling sophisticated pedestrian interaction capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A pedestrian's perceived feeling of safety in a driving environment can be improved. It can be determined whether an eye trajectory of a pedestrian moves toward a direction that is opposite a travel direction of a vehicle. In response to determining that the eye trajectory of the pedestrian moves toward the direction that is opposite a travel direction of a vehicle, a perception of the vehicle by the pedestrian can be caused to be modified. Such causing can include causing a behavior of the vehicle to be modified or causing a size of the vehicle presented in an augmented reality display device worn by the pedestrian to the modified.