AutoTRUST

Setting the Groundwork for Inclusive and Trustworthy Automated Mobility

by CERTH

Six months of co-creation, collaboration, and user-driven design: The first six months of the AutoTRUST project have laid the foundation for an ambitious journey: to shape the future of automated mobility around inclusiveness, personalization, comfort, and trust. As the consortium gradually moves into the technical development phase, let’s take a closer look at what has been accomplished so far.

From Kick-off to Coordination

The project officially launched on May 1st, 2024, and the kick-off meeting was hosted by the project coordinator, CERTH, bringing together 16 partners from across Europe and beyond. The meeting marked a pivotal moment to establish common ground, define responsibilities, and begin aligning on the project’s technical and strategic roadmap. During this initial period, partners focused on:

  • Establishing internal processes for communication and collaboration.
  • Defining detailed work package plans and interdependencies.
  • Initiating the ethical, legal, and data protection framework that will guide all future developments.

Designing for Trust: Technical and Architectural Foundations

In parallel, the technical teams began shaping the reference architecture of the AutoTRUST system, including:

  • Identification of in-cabin and external sensing modalities.
  • Draft designs for the Adaptive Monitoring System (AMS) and Virtual Assistant System (VAS).
  • Initial specifications for data processing pipelines and Federated Learning (FL) framework.
  • First discussions on interface design principles for Human-Machine Interaction (HMI).

AutoTRUST places strong emphasis on privacy, ethics, and personalization. The systems envisioned will not only adapt to the user’s preferences, but also ensure their data is handled responsibly and transparently. Work has begun on integrating explainable AI (XAI) to help users understand and trust the automated systems interacting with them.

Pilots and Use Cases: Planning for Real-World Impact

A major part of the first semester involved planning for four pilot demonstrations that each pilot addresses unique challenges related to personalization, trust, and inclusiveness. During this phase, the consortium:

  • Defined the technical scope and objectives of each use case.
  • Identified key user groups and stakeholders.
  • Prepared initial testing and evaluation frameworks.
  • Mapped out expected KPIs related to usability, trust, and user satisfaction.

A Human-Centered Approach from the Start

From day one, AutoTRUST has embraced a co-creation methodology. The Living Lab approach ensures that end-users are involved throughout the process—from ideation and prototyping to evaluation and validation. Special attention is being given to:

  • Gender, age, and ability diversity in all user engagement activities.
  • Early involvement of social sciences and humanities (SSH) experts.
  • Ensuring that all solutions are ethically aligned and socially inclusive.

Stay tuned as AutoTRUST continues its mission to make automated mobility safer, more inclusive, and ultimately more trusted by all.

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