Dr. Sherrilene Classen will lead two six-hour pre-conference institutes on March 20 as part of the American Occupational Therapy Association, or AOTA, INSPIRE 2024 Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.
To drive or not to drive? That is the question confronting many people as they age, especially those who live in southern states like Florida, where a car-centric culture makes it more difficult to get around when one can’t, won’t, or is unable to continue driving.
OT researchers and partners have launched a new study to understand older adults’ perceptions and experiences with an autonomous shuttle.
During a session on “Accelerating Innovation Through Diversity of Thought” at XPONENTIAL 2022, attendees discussed how diversity and inclusiveness impact the uncrewed systems community, the technology we design, and how our systems integrate into society. Sherrilene Classen, Professor and Chair, University of Florida, Department of Occupational Therapy, presented her research findings on how autonomous vehicles can be designed to support populations with limited mobility and how uncrewed systems can be equitably integrated into society.
The deployment of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies may hold important health and safety benefits for drivers across the driving lifespan. However, such benefits can materialize only if transportation users are willing to embrace the emerging technologies. Earlier studies document a wide variance in acceptance practices, based solely on surveys of drivers. This research used a combined approach of surveys and lived experiences of drivers engaging with AV technologies to examine technology acceptance and adoption of AV technologies. The webinar summarizes findings from the analysis of younger and middle-aged drivers’ perceptions of AVs before and after a) “driving” an interactive high-fidelity RTI driving simulator, in Level 4 autonomous mode, and b) riding in an autonomous shuttle (AS). Moreover, it discusses predictive models of facilitators and barriers for AV acceptance built from data collected from younger and middle-aged drivers (N=106) and older drivers (N=104). The findings reveal important foundational information about driver acceptance, their intention to use AVs, barriers to AV technology, and well-being related to AV technology across the driving lifespan.
The grant has the goal to determine older adults’ perceptions before and after exposure to autonomous ride sharing services. The information is critical for informing education, practice, and policy initiatives pertaining to facilitators and challenges for autonomous ride sharing services.
Older adults will tell you that losing their driving license is like getting a death sentence. In her unstoppable journey to empower seniors, Dr. Sherrilene Classen, a professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, is getting older adults comfortable with autonomous vehicle technology as well as conducting research to develop autonomous transit resources to promote their independence and safety.
In this course, the author provides an overview of the current crash statistics in the USA, an introduction to autonomous vehicles (AV), including the levels of AV, how driving as an occupation may be affected/changed by AV, the pros and the cons of AV, a timeline for AV, as well as a discussion on the vulnerable road users and how they may benefit from AV. The presentation highlights that we are facing the greatest transportation revolution of the century and invite health care professionals to consider the opportunities of AV technology for mobility-disadvantaged people.
In this course, the author provides an overview of older adults’ transportation needs, the potential benefit of autonomous vehicle technology (AVT) to their health and safety, and results from a study conducted to determine older adults’ perception before and after being exposed to AVT (i.e. a driving simulator driving in autonomous mode and an automated shuttle). The presentation highlights implications for practice, policy and research.
Starting Feb. 3, Gainesville residents will be able to board an autonomous shuttle for test rides between downtown Gainesville and the University of Florida campus. The shuttle will be operated by the City of Gainesville’s Regional Transit System (RTS) and has been funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.
