Accessible Autonomous Vehicles as Symbiotic Autonomous Systems for Users with Disabilities: Preliminary Design Guidelines

In biology and life sciences, symbiosis refers to a close interdependent relationship between two biological species who live in a mutually supportive, cooperative way. In this paper, we apply the concept of symbiosis to the problem of autonomous vehicle accessibility. We have reimagined the accessible autonomous vehicle as a symbiotic autonomous system that enables the user with disabilities and the vehicle to function independently in ways that neither could. We present six guidelines for designing Symbiotic Autonomous Vehicles (SyAVs) that explicitly emphasize the perhaps unique needs of SyAV users with disabilities. This work contributes to the scientific literature by discussing SyAVs from the perspectives of persons with disabilities and provides guidance for designers of advanced autonomous systems.