Probabilistic and empirical grounded modeling of agents in (partial) cooperative traffic scenarios

Abstract

The Human Centered Design (HCD) of Partial Autonomous Driver Assistance Systems (PADAS) requires Digital Human Models (DHMs) of human control strategies for simulations of traffic scenarios. The scenarios can be regarded as problem situations with one or more (partial) cooperative problem solvers. According to their roles models can be descriptive or normative. We present new model architectures and applications and discuss the suitability of dynamic Bayesian networks as control models of traffic agents: Bayesian Autonomous Driver (BAD) models. Descriptive BAD models can be used for simulating human agents in conventional traffic scenarios with Between-Vehicle-Cooperation (BVC) and in new scenarios with In-Vehicle-Cooperation (IVC). Normative BAD models representing error free behavior of ideal human drivers (e.g. driving instructors) may be used in these new IVC scenarios as a first Bayesian approximation or prototype of a PADAS. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.