ARROW: Augmented Reality expeRiments for small things On Wheels

• Applicants: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Heather Kaths; Professor Dr. Didier Stricker
• Subject Area: Traffic and Transport Systems, Intelligent and Automated Traffic
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564809505

Conventional and electrically powered bicycles, (e )kick-scooters, and similar devices are small and (partially) human-powered, leading to numerous benefits. These “small things on wheels” (STOW) therefore hold significant potential to meet the goals set in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy of the European Commission. To encourage the uptake of STOW modes, it is essential to design and build road infrastructure that ensures the safety and comfort of STOW users. Achieving this necessitates a comprehensive understanding of STOW user behaviour and mixed STOW traffic flow along with the development of planning tools based on this understanding. Concurrently, the swift technological advancement and increasing accessibility of Augmented Reality (AR) are paving the way for innovative methods of traffic experimentation. The ARROW project aims to advance fundamental knowledge of STOW user behaviour and traffic flow, with a particular focus on social behaviours such as paired riding. Another key objective is to develop AR technology that enables traffic experiments with multiple participants in large outdoor arenas. Furthermore, ARROW seeks to establish methods and experimental protocols for using AR in traffic experiments. The ARROW work programme is structured into six work packages. The first work package, Collaborative AR technology development, focuses on developing extended Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms that support dynamic environments and collaborative mapping. The second work package, Collaborative AR as a method for traffic experiments, involves testing the technologies developed in the first package, developing experimental protocols based on these tests, and validating AR methods. The third work package, Experiments, includes the practical preparation and execution of two AR experiments: one indoor and one outdoor. Data collected from these experiments will be analysed in the fourth work package, Data analysis and behaviour modelling, to formulate, calibrate and validate operational behaviour models for STOW modes. The outcomes from the first three work packages will be integrated in the fifth work package, Open AR lab, which will detail the technological specifications, development guidelines, and methodological advice for using AR technology in traffic experiments on an accessible platform. The final work package Publication is dedicated to publishing the results and writing the final report. The output of ARROW includes six journal publications or conference proceedings, calibrated and validated operational behaviour models for STOW traffic that incorporate social constructs, and the application of these models in existing microscopic traffic simulation software. Additionally, a guideline document for developing and using an AR lab for traffic experiments, along with open-source software components and necessary documentation, will be made available.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr.-Ing. Alain Pagani