HFU Professor Dr. Gerald Ackner spent five months researching at the WIVW. © HFU
From Tuttlingen to Würzburg and back
During his research semester, psychology professor Dr. Gerald Ackner swapped his office on the Tuttlingen Campus of Furtwangen University (HFU) for a workplace at the Würzburg Institute of Traffic Sciences (WIVW), working for five months on an innovative driving simulator test. The experiment tested the situational awareness of drivers in partially and highly automated vehicles (SAE Level 2+3). “This research is crucial for the safety of future mobility,” explains Ackner.
The findings are of direct benefit to students on the Engineering Psychology bachelor's programme and the Human Factors master's programme on the Tuttlingen Campus. “The experience gained is incorporated into our ‘Driving Simulation’ elective for master's students in the field of Human Factors,” says Ackner. The 'Traffic Psychology' lecture also benefits from the insights gained. Ackner also uses them in the Tuttlingen 'Virtual Reality' laboratory to investigate pedestrian safety. This underlines the versatility of the research approaches.
University professors are legally entitled to a research semester. His practical semester enabled Professor Ackner to experience current trends in traffic psychology at first hand and to work in a team of experts. “This experience is invaluable for the practical training of our students,” emphasises the HFU professor.
Interested in the Human Factors master's programme in Tuttlingen?
The interdisciplinary Internal link opens in the same window:Human Factors master's on the HFU Tuttlingen campus provides in-depth knowledge about the 'human factor' and addresses its role in dealing with complex systems. Key areas of study include human-machine interaction, ergonomics, ergonomics or usability and user experience. The programme can also be studied part-time. The application deadline for Human Factors and for the Tuttlingen 'Internal link opens in the same window:Applied Materials Sciences' and 'Internal link opens in the same window:Mechatronic Systems' master's programmes is 15 January.