About us

We are a group of researchers who aim at gaining a better insight into human behaviour and its underlying mechanisms in a world which becomes increasingly complex. We engage in multiple areas of human factors, such as highly automated driving, the use of collaborative robotic systems, the automation of ships, as well as new software solutions. We provide fundamental as well as more applied findings from a psychological and cognitive science perspective, with a focus on mental workload, adaptability, acceptance, and cognitive functions as well as influencing factors. Our findings create a basis for a human-centred development of new technologies and the development of measures to support the users in interacting with new systems. Our work is funded by different national and international research grants as well as various business partners.

Blog

WHAT'S NEW

06.03.2025

Exploring Human Factors in Automated Driving: Insights from Our Latest Study

This week, we successfully conducted a data collection at the IFM – Institute for Driver Assistance and Connected Mobility at Hochschule Kempten, focusing on human factors in highly automated driving and e-mobility.

After weeks of preparation—including fine-tuning the dynamic driving simulator, programming scenarios, refining the experimental design, and developing cognitive assessment questionnaires—we were finally able to put our study into action. With 30 participants, we gathered valuable insights, gained new experiences, and learned countless lessons.

A huge thank you to everyone involved, from the dedicated team working behind the scenes to our participants who filled out questionnaires, let us attach electrodes, and tested our driving scenarios. Your support made this possible!

We are now looking forward to the next round of data collection in March. If you're from the Allgäu/Memmingen region and would like to take part, feel free to reach out—it’s an experience worth your time!

27.01.2025

"Working Memory and the Need for Explainable AI – Scenarios from Healthcare, Social Media, and Insurance" on Heliyon

We’re pleased to share that our latest study on this topic has been published in Heliyon. In this study, we investigated how personal investment and individual differences—such as working memory capacity and personality traits—affect the perceived need for Explainable AI (XAI).

XAI is becoming increasingly relevant in ensuring that AI systems are transparent, trustworthy, and aligned with human needs. This research highlights the importance of personal relevance in shaping expectations of AI systems and offers a new perspective by incorporating personality traits and cognitive functions into the discussion of XAI.

We would like to thank all co-authors for their outstanding contributions to this project! We look forward to engaging in discussions about these findings and exploring future collaborations in this exciting area of research. Read the full article here.

27.01.2025

Book release: "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Societies"

We celebrate the book release of "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Societies" (Springer) in Qatar. We hope that the book will be a guide for the study of the emergent research field dealing with topics around AI & Society. We thank all other authors for their contribution to this publication!