World’s first open online platform gives public a voice in safety of automated vehicles

WMG, at The University of Warwick, has launched the world's first online platform that enables the public to influence the development of Automated Vehicle (AV) safety.

Safety Pool™ Studio is a driving scenario creation platform for the public to design road scenarios based on their real-life experiences or expectations during the introduction of AVs. The platform aims to empower the public to become part of the safety discussions, making the process more inclusive and accessible.

The Automated Vehicles Act is now law in the United Kingdom, and AVs could be on the roads as soon as 2026. However, nearly half of UK motorists still do not trust this technology because of safety concerns[1]. This online platform opens a conversation for future users to define and reimagine the safety of AV deployment.

Innovation is key to improving our roads, and it's great to see WMG, at The University of Warwick backing our vision for safer motoring," said Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Roads, Department for Transport. "I'm delighted that this pioneering platform will address the questions and concerns people have about Automated Vehicles and enable them to challenge developers to address the real issues they face on our roads. Public engagement will improve understanding of these new technologies and give people the confidence to use AVs when they hit our roads after 2026."

The platform accounts for different driving styles, types of road layouts, and the movements of vehicles and pedestrians are available on Safety Pool™ Studio. Users from anywhere in the world can tailor-make road-driving scenarios for AVs based on their geographical locations, cultures, and daily practices (in their own languages). Users can also check and trial their scenarios through instant play on the platform.

''The public and the future technology users are paramount to Automated Vehicles' development and deployment in the UK. By launching Safety Pool™ Studio, our ambition is to democratise safety by prioritising the public's voices in this new technology, where users can share their expectations and understanding of the safety of AV," explained Professor Siddartha Khastgir, Head of Safe Autonomy at WMG, the University of Warwick.

"Safety Pool™ Studio also addresses the needs of other stakeholders in the AV ecosystem like developers, incident investigators and insurers, by enabling them to better capture road scenarios during the post-deployment phase of AVs. We strongly believe by doing so, AV deployment will be more inclusive and relevant to our real-world experiences and everybody's lives.''

All these captured scenarios can then be used for virtual testing by the AV ecosystem to test the safety of their systems. Capturing the public's expectations and real-world incidents enables engineers to replicate potential road situations and assess their products' safe and timely response to road incidents as part of post-deployment monitoring of the AVs. "We welcome this initiative," said Steve Gooding, Director, RAC Foundation.

"The more we understand about the expectations, uncertainties and concerns that people have about AVs the better the chances of those issues being picked up and addressed in the design process for AV development and adoption, that's why engaging the public is so important and that's why making it easier for them to do so really matters.

"It is appropriate that an approach aimed at engaging the public in the development and deployment of new technology should itself be using technology as the basis for that engagement, and we encourage everyone to give it a try."

Organisations wishing to work with the research and Safety Pool™ Studio can contact [email protected] or visit https://safetypoolstudio.ai .

Notes to Editors

WMG, University of Warwick

WMG is a world leading research and education group, transforming organisations and driving innovation through a unique combination of collaborative research and development, and pioneering education programmes.

As an international role model for successful partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, WMG develops advancements nationally and globally, in applied science, technology and engineering, to deliver real impact to economic growth, society and the environment.

WMG's education programmes focus on lifelong learning of the brightest talent, from the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, degree apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate, through to professional programmes.

An academic department of the University of Warwick, and a centre for the HVM Catapult, WMG was founded by the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing and improve competitiveness through innovation and skills development.

The Safe Autonomy Research Group at WMG is the national and global leader in safety assurance research for automated transport systems across land, marine and air. We strive to ensure the safe development and deployment of automated transport technologies by developing innovative safety assurance methods and tools to influence international standards and policies. The group regularly collaborates with international and local policymakers, regulators, and industrial partners on various research projects and policy implementations across the safety spectrum.

Safety Pool^TM Studio: https://safetypoolstudio.ai/

Safe Autonomy Research Group: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/research/research-areas/safeautonomy

Automated Vehicles Act 2024: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2024/10/contents/enacted

British motorists overwhelmingly reject self-driving and AI vehicles despite road safety benefits, GB News, 19 July 2024 (https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/british-motorists-rej

(Picture 1: WMG developed Safety Pool™ Studio, an online platform that allows public users to create scenarios using a graphical interface in a LEGO-like style.)

(Picture 2: Different driving styles, types of road layouts, and the movements of vehicles and pedestrians are available on Safety Pool™ Studio.)

Media contact:

Gabbie Lau

WMG Marketing and Communications Officer (Safe Autonomy Research Group)

[email protected]

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