Mind the gap: Developments in autonomous driving research and the sustainability challenge

Area of Science:

• Autonomous Driving Technology
• Sociotechnical Systems
• Sustainability Science

Background:

• Rapid expansion of scientific knowledge in autonomous-driving technology poses information overload risks for researchers.
• A gap exists between information processing demands and researcher capacity in this fast-evolving field.
• Existing research often struggles to synthesize the vast and complex body of knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address information overload by discovering and synthesizing latent knowledge in autonomous vehicle (AV) research.
• To provide a concise yet comprehensive overview of the conceptual structure of the AV research field.
• To identify research gaps, particularly concerning the sustainability implications of AV deployment.

Main Methods:

• Employed a multi-granulation approach for latent knowledge discovery and synthesis.
• Combined citation-based community detection methods with topic modeling techniques.
• Analyzed a large dataset spanning 50 years of AV research.

Main Results:

• Identified 13 core thematic areas within the AV research landscape.
• Demonstrated a strong orientation towards technological development for AV rollout.
• Revealed a significant oversight of the broad sustainability implications of this sociotechnical transition.

Conclusions:

• The AV research field is heavily focused on technological advancements, neglecting crucial sustainability aspects.
• A call is made for increased researcher engagement with the concept of sustainability in AV deployment.
• Urgent need for systematic investigations into the sustainability of AVs to ensure alignment with societal functions and sustainable transport goals.