This thesis investigates the use of dynamic smart textiles that emit light in different colours and intensities for car interiors, aimed to enhance vehicle users’ emotional states and their relationship with the immediate environment.

Autonomous vehicle developments represent a paradigm shift for today’s automotive industry. With no distinction between passenger and driver, a vehicle’s interior can transform from a driving to a living space, with a focus on user/passengers’ experiences. Technological advances in Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) and ‘affective interfaces’ mean that smart reactive systems can now sense and respond to human psychological states, creating dynamic user experiences. Affective interfaces are currently being tested to improve safety and enhance ambiences, which is most relevant at SAE Level 5 automation, which is in the focus of this study.

This research builds on previous studies by testing users’ psychological associations and preferences for lighting variations in a simulated autonomous vehicle interior. Further, it attempts to understand how users respond to coloured lighting variations, in simulated driving scenarios: (a) a motorway journey, (b) on busy inner-city streets. The simulated driving scenarios are hypothesized to cause, boredom, in scenario (a) and stress in scenario (b). Qualitative interviews were conducted where test participants were shown driving simulations with a combination of red/orange and blue/purple light- emitting smart textiles. Specifically designed questions examined whether these coloured light transitions could suitably address individual users’ emotional states and strains hypothesised in these scenarios.

The outcomes of this proof-of-concept study of the CHAMEOLit simulation, will lead to the creation of a prototype model of the smart textile. Autonomous vehicles are not yet fully developed and it is accepted that testing methods are limited to simulated driving scenarios. Nevertheless, data collected from the qualitative research testing the first version of the prototype, and refined in the second version of the prototype, retains the potential to advance the development of smart textile systems for affective interfaces in future cars and further industry research is recommended. With safe driving foremost and centred on individual, human design, such tangible interfaces can recreate the emotional intelligence of autonomous cars, in dynamic ambiences.