Human Machine Interface

The point of interaction between a human user and a machine, encompassing all hardware and software through which users control and receive feedback from a system. In accessible design, HMIs must support multiple modalities—visual, auditory, and haptic—to accommodate users with different abilities. For autonomous vehicles, accessible HMIs are critical for tasks like selecting destinations, receiving navigation information, and understanding vehicle status. Research with blind users suggests combining voice control, smartphone integration, and tactile feedback provides the most inclusive HMI approach.