Dialog with trucks: Situation-aware conversational agents in driver support systems
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Scania CV AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 4 738 170 |
| Project duration | November 2023 - June 2025 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Advanced digitalization - Enabling technologies |
| Call | AI for advanced digitalization, 2 |
Important results from the project
The project investigated how situation-aware AI-based conversational agents can be used in driver assistance systems (ADAS, SAE L1–2), focusing on smooth conversation flow and effects on safety, efficiency, and user experience. The goals were largely met, but the results are not final. The project yielded new insights into the agents’ role for truck drivers, a decision system that adapts dialogue to the situation, a prototype evaluated in a driving simulator, and initial design guidelines.
Expected long term effects
AI-based conversational agents often lack situational awareness and insight into the driver’s status. This project explored such agents to enable more advanced and user-friendly driver assistance systems (ADAS). By better adapting to both situation and driver, the dialogue can flow more naturally, reducing the driver’s cognitive load, improving safety and efficiency, and increasing technology acceptance. The project has also paved the way for continued research and new collaborations.
Approach and implementation
The work was divided into 5 packages, with several experiments exploring different aspects of situational awareness and dialogue flow. This led to a prototype of a situation-aware AI-based conversational agent, which was evaluated in a driving simulator using subjective and objective methods to study how the dialogue between truck drivers and the agent affects safety, efficiency, and user experience. The consortium included Scania (TRATON), Nagoon, KTH, and Smart Eye.