Abstract
Active mobility, such as biking, faces a common challenge in Swedish municipalities due to the lack of adequate lighting during the dark winter months. Insufficient lighting infrastructure hinders individuals from choosing bicycles, despite the presence of well-maintained bike paths and a willingness to cycle. To address this issue, a project has been undertaken in the Swedish municipality of Skara for an alternative lighting solution using drones. A series of tests have been conducted based on drone prototypes developed for the selected bike paths. Participants were invited to cycle in darkness illuminated by drone lighting and share their mobility preferences and perception. This paper summarizes the users’ perception of drone lighting as an alternative to fixed lighting on bike paths, with a special focus on the impact on travel habits and the perceived sense of security and comfort. Most participants were regular cyclists who cited bad weather, time, and darkness as significant factors that deterred them from using bicycles more frequently, reducing their sense of security. With drone lighting, the participants appreciated the illumination’s moonlight-like quality and its ability to enhance their sense of security by illuminating the surroundings. On the technology side, they gave feedback on reducing the drone’s sound and addressing lighting stability issues. In summary, the test results showcase the potential of drone lighting as a viable alternative to traditional fixed lighting infrastructure, offering improved traffic safety, sense of security, and comfort. The results show the feasibility and effectiveness of this innovative approach, supporting transformation towards active and sustainable mobility, particularly in regions facing lighting challenges.
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Satellite positioning often referred to as GPS.
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Acknowledgment
The study is supported by the Swedish innovation agency Vinnova through the project “Skara Guardian Angel - On-demand infrastructure services for active mobility” with project number 2021-03044. The authors thank the municipality of Skara for providing support on the test site selection and preparation as well as test participants recruiting; and the test participants for spending their time sharing their experiences and opinions for improving rural mobility. We especially want to thank Maria Nordström (Skara Municipality), Henrik Svensson (University of Skövde), Mahdere DW Amanuel (RISE), Kristoffer Bergman (RISE) and Rasmus Lundqvist (RISE).
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Alklind Taylor, AS., Nalin, K., Holgersson, J., Gising, A., Ferwerda, B., Chen, L. (2023). Guardian Angel – Using Lighting Drones to Improve Traffic Safety, Sense of Security, and Comfort for Cyclists. In: Duffy, V.G., Krömker, H., A. Streitz, N., Konomi, S. (eds) HCI International 2023 – Late Breaking Papers. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14057. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48047-8_13
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