Anthropomorphism: an investigation of its effect on trust in human-machine interfaces for highly automated vehicles

Trust has been identified as a major factor in relation to user acceptance of Highly Automated Vehicles (HAV). A positive correlation has been suggested between increased trust and the use of anthropomorphic features in interfaces. However, more research is necessary to establish whether this is true in an HAV context. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate how trust in HAVs is influenced by HMI design with different degrees of anthropomorphism: baseline, caricature, and human. Ten subjects participated in an in-vehicle trial to test the designs. The results showed no significant difference in levels of trust between conditions. Instead, it was found that anthropomorphism may affect user acceptance indirectly through its effect on perceived ease of use and usefulness. The findings imply that designers must be cautious when using anthropomorphism and consider adaptability and customisability to incorporate new and diverse user needs associated with the use of HAV