At the 21st DortmunderAutoTag on September 3, 2026, at TU Dortmund University, representatives from research and industry discussed current developments shaping the future of mobility.

In her presentation, “Potential Use Cases of Anthropomorphism in Automated Vehicles,” Nina Theobald from FZD’s Human Factors & Ergonomics (IAD) research group shared insights from the Campus FreeCity project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

The presentation focused on findings from user studies conducted at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on the interaction of the modular robotic vehicle EDAG CityBot with passengers, pedestrians, and workers. Based on these results, design implications for the successful use of anthropomorphic elements in interactions with automated vehicles were highlighted.

Many thanks to the Institute of Control Theory and Systems Engineering at TU Dortmund University for the invitation!