Passenger in autonomous transport: the evolution of the human role from operator to system element Autonomous transport is not just a technological upgrade; it is a fundamental shift in the paradigm of movement, where the passenger ceases to be just a "cargo" and becomes an active user of a complex cyber-physical system. This transition gives rise to a complex of scientific, engineering, and psychological issues. Cognitive offloading and a new form of trust In traditional transport, the passenger delegates responsibility to the driver, assessing his competence by indirect signs (driving style, appearance). In an autonomous system, trust is transferred to the algorithm and its developers. This is a technological trust based on safety statistics, but devoid of human empathy. The passenger experiences cognitive dissonance: the brain, evolutionarily tuned to assess the intentions of another person, is forced to trust a "black box". Interesting fact: Studies in autonomous vehicle simulators show that passengers are worse at handling sharp maneuvers performed by an algorithm, even if they are statistically safer and rarer than those of a person. The brain interprets a sharp braking impulse from the system as a failure, and from a driver — as a manifestation of caution. Change in sensory experience and motion sickness A person in a vehicle is not a passive object. His vestibular apparatus, vision, and proprioception (body position sensation) form a unified sensory picture. The driver, actively participating in the control, anticipates maneuvers, which reduces the risk of motion sickness. The passenger of an autonomous vehicle, deprived of predictability and control, becomes more vulnerable. Scientific approach: For this, engineers and neurophysiologists are working on: Predictable trajectory. Movement algorithms learn not only to be safe but also "smooth," avoiding sharp accelerations that are unusual for human perception. Sensory coordination. Systems of augmented realit ... Read more