Autonomous vehicle designers are facing a unique challenge: preventing riders from engaging in sexual activities in public robotaxis. As the use of self-driving cars becomes more common, incidents of passengers getting intimate have been reported, particularly in vehicles like General Motors’ Cruise.
Growing Concerns in Robotaxis
In a recent interview with The San Francisco Standard, several individuals recounted their experiences of having sex in robotaxis. One man noted,
“"There’s no one to tell you, ‘You can’t do that.’ It gets to the point where you’re more and more comfortable, and if you’re with someone, like a more serious partner, it can escalate to other activities."
Alexandros Rouchitsas, a human factors and UX researcher, highlighted the cultural context of sexual behavior in vehicles. He stated,
“"The interiors of vehicles have been sexualized and appropriated for sex since forever in popular culture. You can see it in movies, you can see it in lyrics, you can see it in photography."
The Role of Design
Rouchitsas organized a workshop titled “Love in Traffic” in late September in Sweden, where researchers discussed how design could mitigate these issues. He pointed out that the absence of a human driver in robotaxis removes the social obligation to interact, leading to a false sense of privacy.
