Poster: Preliminary Study - People’s Opinion on Social Robots for Traffic Orchestration

Abstract

Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication enables vehicles to exchange information with other road users and infrastructure to improve road safety and traffic efficiency. However, how Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), can effectively benefit from this technology remains an open question. One emerging concept is the use of social robots equipped with V2X capabilities to support traffic orchestration and interaction with VRUs. While technically promising, such systems raise important human-centered questions, particularly regarding public acceptance. In this work, we present a first step toward understanding societal attitudes by conducting a qualitative preliminary study. Through interviews with pedestrians, we explore their perceptions of using a V2X-enabled social robot in traffic context.