The aim of the “ADMoS-Future” real-world laboratory is to develop and test socio-technical solutions to promote a sustainable, just, accessible, and resilient mobility system of the future. The focus is on the question of what role autonomous and cooperative driving can play in such a system. The research project builds on the analysis of relevant conceptual and empirical work in the field in order to identify research gaps and address them in the real-world lab.

In line with the understanding of real-world laboratories as transdisciplinary research infrastructures, ADMoS-Future aims to integrate the knowledge of different academic and non-academic actors into the collaborative work process. A formative evaluation accompanies the transdisciplinary work process and highlights opportunities for iterative development of the process throughout the entire course of the RwL.

In essence, a series of real-world experiments with different designs are implemented and scientifically monitored within the real-world lab in order to answer both technological and social research questions about the potential contribution of autonomous mobility to sustainability. With a view to systemic solutions, this includes, in particular, real-world testing of a shuttle service under different contextual conditions. In the future, other mobility solutions may also be considered (e.g., logistics solutions using drones).

As one of the real-world laboratory tandems of the KIT Excellence Initiative, the real-world lab is designed to be cross-project and cross-institutional and aims to strengthen mobility research at KIT in the long term through existing and new collaborations.

The RwL is essentially guided by three perspectives:

• Systemic: The real-world lab does not see autonomous driving as a self-sufficient mobility solution, but rather as complementary and closely linked to existing elements in the mobility system. The primary goal is the spatial scaling of the real-world experiments in order to increase their informative value with regard to the significance of and demand for autonomous mobility. To what extent does autonomous mobility replace or expand existing offers and capacities? And to what extent do new services (Mobility as a Service) such as car sharing become more attractive through autonomous driving?
• Sustainable: Sustainability is often used as a buzzword in mobility discourses without contextualizing the actual solution in terms of its overall impact and the externalities it creates. On the other hand, sustainability discourses are often driven by a techno-sceptic perspective that does not sufficiently address the benefits of digital and automated solutions or the potential of these technologies for behavioral change. How can we bridge this gap in understanding and identify drivers, scenarios, or barriers for a sustainable use and social acceptance of autonomous driving?
• Context-specific: The real-world lab focuses on a specific application field for autonomous vehicles in a clearly defined area in order to evaluate spatial, social, and technological aspects. We will address this question using campus mobility as a specific empirical case. The design of the RwL follows three core questions:
  1. How do we create an environment for co-design and transdisciplinary collaboration?
  2. How do we enable stakeholders to help shape transformation pathways in the city and its surroundings?
  3. How do we continuously advance research in real-world labs at the methodological level to foster their role as spaces for experimentation and innovation?

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