Towards Acceptance of Virtual Validation: An Empirical Study based on the Indirect Technology Acceptance Framework

Kurzfassung

The development of autonomous vehicles creates both technological innovations and significant societal and regulatory challenges. In particular, the acceptance of these systems and all related technologies represents a crucial and necessary requirement for their successful implementation. However, indirect technologies like virtual validation, which are increasingly used in product development, and their potential effects on the acceptance among stakeholders are overseen. In this paper, we apply the Indirect Technology Acceptance Framework (iTAF) to empirically collected survey data in the mobility domain and derive actionable recommendations for the promotion of acceptance regarding virtual validation. Our findings indicate several enablers and barriers of acceptance along the dimensions of understanding, trust, benefit and legitimacy. To tackle these, strategic recommendations for industry, policymakers, and regulators at the technological, institutional, societal, and interactive levels are derived. By integrating these actions, virtual validation may be positioned not only as a technically efficient solution but also as a socially legitimate and broadly accepted element of the safety assurance landscape.