Unlock Your Trust: Experiencing a Biophilic Autonomous Driving Through Gamification

This study looks at how integrating biophilic interventions into driverless cars can lower stress levels and increase passenger comfort and trust. Even though autonomous car usage is increasing, public trust in the technology is still low, which has an impact on consumers’ acceptance and desire to buy them. Utilizing virtual reality and a dynamic driving simulator, the research used biophilic treatments in an entertaining game. A total of thirty students took part, divided into two groups and given varying game lengths. The findings indicated that a five-minute game decreased stress by 36.5% and raised trust by 38.46%, while a shorter three-minute game considerably lowered stress by 50.96% and increased trust by 64.9%. Additionally, the group with less exposure reported feeling more at ease. The results show that stress and trust are positively impacted by biophilic encounters, implying that shorter, more immersive virtual reality experiences could more successfully increase comfort and trust. To further corroborate these results, larger sample numbers and objective data like HRV and EEG should be included in future studies.