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About the HumanFIRST Program
The HumanFIRST Program (Human Factors Interdisciplinary Research in Simulation and Transportation), established in 2001, is the primary human factors research laboratory of the University of Minnesota’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Institute.
The mission of the HumanFIRST Program is to reduce the rate of injurious and fatal crashes by improving the understanding driver behavior and by supporting the design and evaluation of usable intelligent transportation systems. As our name implies, the HumanFIRST research strategy is based on a driver-centered approach, considering the “human first” within the transportation system in order to improve traffic safety.
A core staff of five full-time and three part-time transportation research specialists, including psychologists, computer scientists, and civil and mechanical engineers, gives the HumanFIRST Program a broad range of research capabilities. This core group is linked to a wide interdisciplinary network of experts in basic and applied sciences throughout the University of Minnesota to provide a flexible and comprehensive research capacity. Through the strategic appointment of visiting scientists and institutions worldwide, the HumanFIRST Program is connected with research developments on the world stage.
Considering the human first
The human factors studies carried out by HumanFIRST focus on understanding how humans interact with the many technologies and environmental factors that influence driving performance. Understanding these interactions is critical to ensuring that new technologies are safe as well as effective, as well as to improving the safety and efficiency of existing systems.
Research in the HumanFIRST Program seeks to propose, design, and evaluate innovative technologies to improve transportation safety based on a scientific understanding of driver performance and the psychological processes associated with traffic crashes. This research considers how drivers will accept and use new technologies, while also considering the possibility of producing undesirable driver responses and adaptations (such as distraction, complacency, fatigue, or increased risk taking) that could undermine the goal of improved safety.
Integration with ITS Institute research activities
The HumanFIRST Program is one of several laboratories and dedicated research facilities supported by the Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute. Collaboration with these labs and facilities is a key component of the HumanFIRST Program’s research approach.
The ITS Institute was established as a University Transportation Center (UTC) through the 1991 federal surface transportation act, and subsequently reauthorized in 1998 and 2005. The Institute is housed within the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), which supports the management, development and delivery of the Institute’s programs and administrative functions.
Other research facilities supported by the ITS Institute include:
- The Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory, dedicated to the development of in-vehicle technologies including driver assistive systems for automobiles, transit, and emergency vehicles.
- The Minnesota Traffic Observatory, focusing on testing and evaluation of new transportation management and operational strategies and traveler information technologies.
- The Northland Advanced Transportation Systems Research Laboratories, located on the University of Minnesota’s Duluth Campus, which carry out a wide variety of research programs related to intelligent transportation systems.
By collaborating with these facilities, the HumanFIRST Program provides the ITS Institute with state-of-the-art human factors integration in the development of new technologies deployed in vehicles and in traffic management applications.