Life On Board

Purpose and goal

The main aim of the project was to prevent from accidents caused by unexpected behavior of vehicles related to improper use of the gear selector, thereby improving vehicle safety. The most important result was the knowledge that enables the systematic development of new gear selector interface where the human factor is minimized by dealing with potential differences in usability and cognitive load, thus improving safety for drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. The results were fully in line with the purpose and goals.

Results and expected effects

The project has led to increased discussions of the gear selector opportunities and constraints to safety. Demand for guidance and knowledge has been achieved by the project and several national and international companies have clearly shown interest in the project. The project has shown that new standards and regulatory requirements needs to be updated. The project has been able to show that a trend in the development of new shift-by-wire systems are safety critical. The project fears that an increase in accidents related to the gear selector is to be expected if the trend continues.

Approach and implementation

All project partners have contributed to the project according to the project plan. Weekly based meetings via web / phone was held and larger projects meetings held every spring and autumn, and was led by Kongsberg Automotive. In the larger project meetings project results was presented and research issues for future work were made and discussed. Between the larger project meetings, Kongsberg Automotive and Luleå University had workshops when needed. The workshops were either creative or solution-oriented, or more planning-oriented.