PhD Position Automated Vehicle User Interaction in Relation to Environment Perception

Enhance comfort of automated driving taking into account perception inaccuracy

Job description
This groundbreaking project comprises four PhD positions, led by experts in automated driving, radar technology, machine learning, and human factors, enhancing safety and comfort of automated driving.

• Three PhD candidates will study and enhance the environment perception of automated vehicles and Advanced Driving Assistance Systems, with a focus on radar.
• The fourth PhD (this vacancy) will study and enhance the interaction between human users and vehicle automation by taking into account uncertainty in the radar interpretation. Specifically, the PhD will explore user adoption and improve the collaboration between automation and human users for symbiotic driving.

Automated cars, trucks, buses and taxis offer ample scope to enhance road safety and mobility. Driverless taxis are already operational in the United States and China. Modern passenger cars and trucks offer Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) which automate car following through Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), provide Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA), and can intervene through Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). Current ADAS do not guarantee safety and still require active drivers monitoring traffic and keeping their eyes on the road.

All automation and support systems rely on environment perception with a range of sensors detecting other road users and infrastructure. These include camera, radar and lidar. This project focusses on radar, which is highly cost effective, and is a key sensor in the perception of relative velocity.

Current sensors are increasingly accurate and reliable but are also subject to noise, clutter and discontinuities. These affect the vehicle motion leading to discomfort. Moreover current systems see “phantom detections” where objects such as speed bumps are perceived as if they are other road users. Discomfort and phantom braking hamper ADAS acceptance, triggering users to deactivate systems.

This project aims to study, quantify and adress perception uncertainty (PHD1-PHD3).

Your challenge (PhD4) will be to redesign ADAS control systems and interfaces taking into account perception uncertainty. In close collaboration with the other PhDs you will

• Design new ADAS algorithms that rely on radar and can deal with the imperfections in radar data (noise, noise, interference patterns) for different normal and edge cases (e.g. lane change, night driving, bad weather) and adapt to different driving conditions.
• Optimize the interface between the ADAS and human users by taking advantage of the uncertainty in the radar interpretation. Specifically, to explore user adoption and improve the collaboration between the ADAS algorithms and human users for symbiotic driving.

The research will be performed using

1) control algorithm and user interface design,

2) computer simulations using models of human comfort perception, and

3) human in the loop experiments in TU Delft driving simulators and experimental vehicles.

This PhD opportunity offers a stimulating and challenging experience, encompassing both theoretical and experimental aspects. It explores key aspects: 1) comfortable control and 2) user interfacing —within the context of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems.

Job requirements
Must-haves:

• MSc in mechanical engineering, control engineering or equivalent.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Proven record in programming skills.
• Proficiency in English.
• Good communication skills.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary, highly dynamic environment.

Nice-to-haves:

• Background in human factors, user interfaces, biomechanics, machine learning, radar technology, or automative engineering.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact Professor R. Happee, via r.happee@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 3 Dec 2024 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae.
• Motivation letter.
• 2-4 letters of recommendation.
• Publications or at least your (draft) Master thesis.
• List of courses + grades in Master & Bachelo.

You can address your application to Professor R. Happee.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• A knowledge security check will be part of the selection procedure (for details page 45: national knowledge security guidelines).
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.

36 - 40 hours per week

Mekelweg 5