LRM 2016 - Living room on the move ? Autonomous Vehicles and Social Experiences

Advances in technology have made autonomous vehicles a reality. Developing autonomous vehicles is technically complex and up to now research has focused on technical improvement and operative safety. As the level of automation increases the role of the driver will change; from controlling every movement of the vehicle into becoming an operator/passenger. Little is known about how this new context will affect the social experiences and socializing. While the social experience and socializing in relation to autonomous vehicles has been overlooked in research and practice, this workshop focus on these aspects. More so, it focuses on three different kinds of social experience and socializing, namely; between other road users and the autonomous car, the social activities within the autonomous car and the relationship between the car and the operator. This workshop addresses these issues and aims at exploring possible practices, research and design directions of autonomous vehicles in relation to social experiences. A human-centred design approach will be the core of the workshop, with playful field excursions and ideation sessions.