The RRADS platform: a real road autonomous driving simulator

This platform paper introduces a methodology for simulating an autonomous vehicle on open public roads. The paper outlines the technology and protocol needed for running these simulations, and describes an instance where the Real Road Autonomous Driving Simulator (RRADS) was used to evaluate 3 prototypes in a between-participant study design. 35 participants were interviewed at length before and after entering the RRADS. Although our study did not use overt deception---the consent form clearly states that a licensed driver is operating the vehicle---the protocol was designed to support suspension of disbelief. Several participants who did not read the consent form clearly strongly believed that they were interacting with a fully autonomous vehicle. The RRADS platform provides a lens onto the attitudes and concerns that people in real-world autonomous vehicles might have, and also points to ways that a protocol deliberately using misdirection can gain ecologically valid reactions from study participants.