This workshop explores good practices, challenges, and opportunities in measuring passenger comfort and perceived safety in AVs through subjective, objective, and model-based methods.
Monday, 22 September, 2025 - afternoon section (AEST)
Prof. Riender received the Ph.D. degree from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands in 1992. He investigated road safety and introduced biomechanical human models for impact and comfort at TNO Automotive (1992-2007). Currently, he investigates human interaction with automated vehicles, focusing on safety, motion comfort and acceptance at the Delft University of Technology, where he is a Full Professor.
Prof Marieke Martens is a full professor ‘Automated Vehicles and Human Interaction’ at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Since 1996, she has been working as a research in the area of human factors and traffic behaviour at TNO. Marieke is primarily interested in research related to human behaviour and automated driving, an innovation that is primarily technology driven and has far from reached the desired level of readiness to be safely introduced on a large scale on public roads for the general public.
Dr. Kumar Akash is a Principal Scientist at Honda Research Institute USA, leading the Human and Social Science group in San Jose, California. His academic background includes a Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a B.Tech. from IIT Delhi. Dr. Akash’s research centers on developing human-aware automated systems, focusing particularly on modeling and optimising human behaviour and cognitive states to enhance interactions between humans and intelligent automation.
This 2.5-hour workshop is structured into interactive sessions with expert talks, group discussions, and reflections. It aims to evaluate existing measurement methods and collaboratively explore innovative, multi-modal approaches, including AI-based strategies.
• Introduction of organisers and guest speakers.
• Overview of the workshop goals, activities, and schedule.
• Division of participants into two breakout groups.
Organisers’ Introduction (10 min): Definitions of comfort and perceived
safety, overview of current measurement approaches, and identification of existing
challenges and gaps.
Expert Talks (60 min):
• Subjective methods: their benefits and limitations.
• Objective methods: challenges in physiological and behavioural data use (e.g., artefact
removal, variability).
• AI-based models: insights and lessons from applying AI for passenger state detection.
Task 1: Critical Assessment (20 min):
Participants evaluate challenges and share solutions based on measurement categories
(subjective, objective). Output is visualised on a shared whiteboard.
Task 2: Designing Future Methods (20 min):
Groups propose a multi-modal framework for continuous comfort and safety assessment,
integrating subjective, objective, and behavioural data. Special focus is placed on the role
of AI/LLMs in real-time inference.
• Moderators summarise group outputs (20 min).
• Final reflections and closing words from the organisers (5 min).
Chen Peng is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. Her research interests include user comfort in automated driving, automated driving styles, communication strategies, inclusive designs in transport, and human-technology interaction. She received her PhD in human factors in automated driving as a Marie Curie Fellow from the University of Leeds.
Pavlo Bazilinskyy is an assistant professor at TU Eindhoven focusing on AI-driven interaction between automated vehicles and other road users. He finished his PhD at TU Delft in auditory feedback for automated driving as a Marie Curie Fellow, where he also worked as a postdoc. He was the head of data research at NEXTdriver. Pavlo is the treasurer of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) and was a director of the Research and Innovation unit of the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA).
Yueteng Yu is a PhD candidate in Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) for automated driving at Queensland University of Technology. His research focuses on multimodal HMI, situation awareness, and user experience in Level 3+ automated vehicles. He earned an MSc in Human-Computer Interaction from the University of Nottingham and conducted research with Tsinghua University's HCI group. His experience spans both academia and industry, including work as a UX researcher with car manufacturers and as a Software Engineer.
Professor Natasha Merat, OBE, is an experimental psychologist and research group leader of the Human Factors and Safety Group at the Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds. She also leads the Automation theme at Leeds and is responsible for the strategic direction of research conducted at Virtuocity. Her main research interests are in understanding the interaction of road users with new technologies. She applies this interest to studying factors such as driver distraction and driver impairment, and she is an internationally recognised expert in studying the human factors implications of highly automated vehicles.
This workshop aims to establish a shared, community-driven understanding of how to measure passenger comfort and perceived safety in automated vehicles. By synthesising practical experiences with current methodologies, participants will gain a clearer view of the strengths, challenges, and best practices in the field.
Key outcomes include a collaboratively defined research agenda and a publicly shared methodological paper focusing on multi-modal measurement and the use of AI. The session also seeks to foster a strong professional network to drive future collaboration on advancing measurement strategies.