In a world ever-accelerating towards an autonomous future, user acceptance of automation technology is crucial to realizing its forward trajectory. In the automotive industry, automation is of particular concern due to the potential safety and efficiency benefits it may provide. While the engineering and manufacture of core technologies to support this function are both large factors in the automation's efficacy, little attention is being paid to educating consumers on these technologies as they become available. Inflammatory news articles cite single autonomous crashes as a tragedy, while every day, 90 people die in fatal crashes from non-autonomous vehicles. Users are primed by media and personal experiences to eschew automation in their personal lives and would rather let someone else take the risk with new technologies.

To better reach those users, we've made Revolution: a product that prepares users for the upcoming revolution in Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). Revolution is a showroom simulator that acclimates users to the controls, terminology, and overall experience of operating an AV. Users are guided by a retail associate to customize their driving experience, selecting options that change the behavior and driving style of the vehicle. They customize the interface to their taste, and are then guided through the main interface of the vehicle. After the introduction, they start the simulation. The user is given a test track to learn how to control the AV and test its handling. After the user feels comfortable, the retail associate has the option of multiple different scenarios they can load up to show the user how the AV reacts to certain edge cases, such as an oncoming vehicle, construction, fauna in the road, EMS interaction, or all in one big experience. After the user is done, they're given a card that holds their user preferences to be scanned by their new vehicle to bypass the setup process.

Revolution addresses the pre-purchase touchpoint for potential AV users who hold a number of fears: how the AV handles edge cases, what the car feels like to drive, and how to interact with it. It offers a solution for customers who are curious about the technology but don't quite feel ready to take it onto the real road, where they may be involved in an accident. It acclimates customers to driving with an AV, and prepares them for driving the real thing should they choose to do so at a later time. It offers valuable experiences that users most certainly have questions about but would not experience in a normal, real-world test drive. Most importantly, it retrains users' common knowledge with experiential knowledge, which is the gateway to their acceptance later down the line. Revolution isn't the only part of the AV Revolution, but it's a new angle we're excited to explore.

Find the project in full detail here! - https://www.arjunguptadesign.com/revolution