Human-Interaction

Snapshot

Problem

Autonomous vehicles are on the road now, but that doesn’t mean human police officers, human tow-truck operators, etc. are going away any time soon. When these people take issue with something the autonomous vehicle does, these people will expect to speak with a person. An autonomous vehicle that does not have a human representative could be impounded or towed.

Solution

The solution is a system that enables a human representative to speak with the police officer, tow-truck operator, etc. when necessary. Although a human representative located in each vehicle is too inefficient, a human representative for every 100 or more vehicles is economical. This human representation will enable autonomous vehicles to integrate into a world set up for human drivers.

Intellectual Property

U.S. Patent 9,429,947

Additional patents pending

Partners

Drivent would like to integrate these helpful features into your autonomous vehicle systems.

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vehicles pulled over by police every day in the U.S.1

vehicle towing employees in the U.S.2

Police Officer Stops

Why would a police officer pull over an autonomous vehicle? Autonomous vehicles don’t make mistakes, right? Police pull over more than 50,000 vehicles every day1 in the United States. Here are just a few of examples of why autonomous vehicles are pulled over:

The police officer mistakenly believes the vehicle has violated a traffic rule
The vehicle is speeding due to being mistaken regarding the local speed limit
The vehicle mistakenly interprets a roadway sign, and as a result violates a traffic rule

Each of the more than 12,000 local police departments in the U.S.3 will have to decide how to deal with pulling over a driverless vehicle. Until a universal procedure is adopted by all 12,000 local police departments (and additional sheriff departments and federal agencies), a remote human representative of the vehicle will sometimes need to speak with police officers to ensure smooth integration of autonomous vehicles into existing traffic enforcement systems.

Tow Operator Intervention

Over 59,000 people are employed in the U.S. with one primary goal: to tow your vehicle.2 Vehicle towing is a lucrative business with over seven billion dollars in revenue in 2018.4 Many tow-truck operators regularly patrol parking areas hoping to make hundreds of dollars in less than an hour by finding a parked vehicle to tow.

Of course, autonomous vehicles need to park. In some cases, autonomous vehicles push parking norms by circling many times or waiting curbside for a rider to arrive. This behavior creates tension with parking enforcement personnel, and in some cases, may lead to opportunistic towing. (The towing industry is infamous for jumping at the chance to make money by towing a vehicle.) A remote human representative of the vehicle can explain the vehicle’s behavior, defuse tension with parking personnel, and reduce odds of the vehicle being towed.

Station Attendants

In the future, charging stations and fuel stations will include robotic elements that connect with the autonomous vehicle to dispense electricity or fuel. Building a nationwide network of compatible stations will take many years, and the network will likely have unserved areas for decades.

Human representation of the vehicles enables current stations to service autonomous vehicles. As a result, autonomous vehicles can be launched everywhere immediately (rather than being limited due to the lack of compatible stations).

Road Rage

In the U.S. last year, approximately 7.6 million drivers got out of their vehicle to confront another driver.5 In these intense situations, a remote human representative can help deescalate the situation to reduce the risk of harm to passengers or the autonomous vehicle.

While many people are excited to share the road with autonomous vehicles, some people are skeptical of autonomous vehicles and may be quickly angered by their presence. Remote human representation can help ease tensions with human drivers and thereby smooth the rollout of autonomous vehicles.

How the System Works

The vehicle includes an exterior speaker and microphone system that enables a remote representative of the vehicle to communicate with the person located outside the vehicle. Please contact us for more information regarding this system and the many options available for customization.