Martin Tomitsch

Xinyan Yu, Marius Hoggenmueller, Xin Lu et al.

Urban HCI investigates how digital technologies shape human behaviour within the social, spatial, temporal dynamics of public space. Meanwhile, robotic furniture research demonstrates how the purposeful animation of mundane utilitarian elements can influence human behaviour in everyday contexts. Taken together, these strands highlight an untapped opportunity to investigate how animated public furniture could mediate social interaction in urban environments. In this paper, we present the design process and in-the-wild study of mobile robotic benches that reconfigure with a semi-outdoor public space. Our findings show that the gestural performance of the benches manifested three affordances perceived by passersby, they activated engagement as robots, redistributed engagement as spatial elements, and settled engagement as infrastructure. We proposed an Affordance Transition Model (ATM) describing how robotic furniture could proactively facilitate transition between these affordances to engage passersby. Our study bridges robotic furniture and urban HCI to activate human experience with the built environment purposefully.

Yiyuan Wang, Martin Tomitsch, Marius Hoggenmüller et al.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) tend to disrupt the atmosphere and pedestrian experience in urban shared spaces, undermining the focus of these spaces on people and placemaking. We investigate how external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) supporting AV-pedestrian interaction can be extended to consider the characteristics of an urban shared space. Inspired by urban HCI, we devised three place-based eHMI designs that (i) enhance a conventional intent eHMI and (ii) exhibit content and physical integration with the space. In an evaluation study, 25 participants experienced the eHMIs in an immersive simulation of the space via virtual reality and shared their impressions through think-aloud, interviews, and questionnaires. Results showed that the place-based eHMIs had a notable effect on influencing the perception of AV interaction, including aspects like visual aesthetics and sense of reassurance, and on fostering a sense of place, such as social interactivity and the intentionality to coexist. In measuring qualities of pedestrian experience, we found that perceived safety significantly correlated with user experience and affect, including the attractiveness of eHMIs and feelings of pleasantness. The paper opens the avenue for exploring how eHMIs may contribute to the placemaking goals of pedestrian-centric spaces and improve the experience of people encountering AVs within these environments.

Xinyan Yu, Marius Hoggenmueller, Tram Thi Minh Tran et al.

Emerging technologies introduce sociotechnical tensions that call for closer collaboration between technology design and policy. In this work, we introduce Design-Policy Adversarial Futuring, a scenario-based workshop method that supports design-policy engagement by structuring contestation between design and policy perspectives. We report on a workshop conducted in the autonomous mobility domain with 12 HCI researchers, used to explore and demonstrate the method in practice. The workshop illustrates how the adversarial futuring method can surface shifting harms, translate policy abstractions into situated use, and legitimise extreme ideas while maintaining grounded policy reasoning. This work contributes a reusable, exploratory method for supporting HCI-policy collaboration through contestation, which can be adapted across emerging technological domains.