Introduction
Autonomous vehicles (or driverless cars) are being developed to transport people safely without any need for those people to drive. These driverless vehicles will still need some input from the people using them - perhaps about the destination - and could also retain some control features.
We are interested in whether access to such vehicles would be desirable to a very specific group of people.
Particularly, we are interested in the views of people who do not have reliable use of their limbs or head to physically interact with technology, but who reliably interact with technology through voice commands, eye blinking or brain machine interfaces (a piece of technology which picks up a person’s thoughts).
We would like to know if this group, who interact with technology in one or all of these ways, would value in having access to a driverless car.
This study is being undertaken by Dr Claire Williams and her team in Intelligent Mobility at Atkins.
Why have I been invited?
We know that people may have restricted use of their limbs, head and neck for a whole variety of reasons. We are approaching organisations who work in fields such as Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Stroke and Spinal Trauma, amongst many others, to invite their communities to take part in this study.
It has been suggested that you might be part of this community and we would like to know if this type of driverless car might be desirable to you.
What does taking part involve?
Taking part involves completing an online survey with a range of question types, some about you and some about driverless cars. Three scenarios will be described and you will have the chance to give your views about them. This survey should take no more than 30 minutes to complete.
Note: if you would prefer to complete the survey by hand, we can post a copy to you. Please email emma.chester@atkinsglobal.com or ring 020 3214 8818 to request a copy.
What if I don’t want to take part or if I change my mind?
Participation is entirely your choice.
You are free to withdraw at any time. If you have already completed the survey please contact emma.chester@atkinsglobal.com or ring 020 3214 8818. Her details will also be provided at the end of the survey.
You will not need to provide any reason for withdrawing and your information will be removed from our database immediately and will not be included in any further reports.