Beyond Beeps: Designing Ambient Sound as a Take-Over Request in Automated Vehicles

The design of take-over requests in automated vehicles traditionally focuses on safety and reaction time. We are interested in how take-over requests can be designed from a broader user experience perspective while ensuring safety. This paper proposes designs for ambient sound (i.e., soundscape) and driving noise to inform the driver of transition situations. Drivers must take-over control within the time budget, the time from the take-over request to the automation system limit. The time required for a safe transition depends on the complexity of the driving environment. In a scheduled take-over, which is not an emergency, there is an opportunity for an interaction that gradually introduces the driver into the transition process. Ambient sound is expected to lead the driver back to the loop with comfort, creating a novel transition experience as well as safety.