On 16 October, from 12:00 to 13:30, the ULTIMO project will host the 8th webinar in its series, this time focusing on how inclusive automated services are designed and deployed together with the people who use them. Under the title “Driving inclusion: shaping user acceptance through inclusive AV experiences“, experts will discuss:
- Designing with users, and what co-creation looks like in practice.
- Making vehicles, interfaces and booking systems accessible by design.
- Applying inclusive design in real operating environments, from pilots to living labs.
Ensuring that automated public transport is accessible and inclusive is a key challenge for the future of mobility and a core ambition of the ULTIMO project. As automated mobility moves closer to large scale deployment, accessibility needs to be addressed across physical, digital, cognitive and informational dimensions, so that new services benefit users with different needs and abilities. ULTIMO therefore places user centred design and social inclusion at the heart of the development and deployment of automated transport services.
Building on the previous ULTIMO webinar, which explored users’ needs, perceptions and expectations and how these can inform early design choices and build trust, this 8th webinar shifts the focus from understanding needs to designing and deploying with users.
The session will explore how accessibility and inclusivity can be translated into practice through cocreation, inclusive service design, and real-world deployment. Drawing on ULTIMO experiences, other projects and expert perspectives, it will highlight practical approaches to involving diverse user groups throughout implementation and ensuring that automated mobility services respond to their needs in real operating environments. You can find the list of expert speakers below, along with the registration form at the bottom of the page.
Moderator:
Tally Hatzakis, Senior Technical Advisor, UNESCO. She is an EU‑funding specialist and accessibility expert with extensive experience in user‑centred innovation for mobility and digital services.
She has coordinated major European initiatives on inclusive transport, co‑creation and assistive technologies, collaborating with universities, industry and diverse user groups across multiple EU cities. Her work focuses on translating accessibility principles into practical design, evaluation and deployment methods that empower end‑users as co‑innovators. Tally currently advises UNESCO on promoting inclusive governance, ethical AI and accessible mobility ecosystems as part of their Management of Social Transformation Programme.
Expert speakers:
Delphine Grandsart, Senior Researcher at the European Passenger Federation, works on passenger needs and user involvement in European mobility research. She will present how public transport systems can be designed around end users, drawing on the UPPER project.
Delphine Grandsart is a senior researcher at the European Passengers’ Federation (EPF), the umbrella organisation representing national and regional passenger associations across Europe and advocating for stronger passenger rights and more passenger-centric transport policies at EU level. She started working at the Flemish passenger organisation TreinTramBus in 2009 and joined EPF in 2015. Since then, she has contributed to a wide range of European research and innovation initiatives while playing an active role in shaping EU transport policy through EPF’s position papers, consultations and representation activities. Her work for EPF addresses issues affecting passengers across all transport modes, ensuring that user perspectives are reflected in legislative and policy developments. She regularly represents passengers in high-level discussions and expert forums and is a frequent speaker at European transport conferences and debates.
Dr. Antonios Lalas is a postdoctoral researcher in Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas / Information Technologies Institute (CERTH/ITI). He received the Diploma and Ph.D. degrees from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2006 and 2012. During the period 2020-2021, he has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Western Macedonia (ECE/UOWM), while during the period 2012-2018, he has served as an adjunct lecturer at the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, UOWM, teaching several courses in telecommunications domain. He has also served as postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, AUTH, during the period 2013-2015.
His research interests include 5G/6G networks, V2X communications, artificial intelligence, deep neural networks, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, neuromorphic computing, wireless power transfer, metamaterials, sensor fusion, computational electromagnetics, acoustics, computational fluid dynamics, visualization of physical information, IoT in relation to autonomous vehicles, counter-UAV, security, cybersecurity, and physical layer security, as well as eHealth domains. In addition, his research interests include sensors and RF circuits design, radio frequency micro-electromechanical systems (RF-MEMS), THz technology and graphene for various applications. He has authored forty (40) papers in international scientific peer review journals and more than seventy-three (73) papers in international conferences and events. He has also been involved in several research projects, such as AUTOTRUST, NATWORK, SWARMCATCHER (FIDAL OC1), ARROW (6G-SANDBOX OC1), where he serves as the deputy-coordinator, as well as ULTIMO, PROTECDOME, GUARDAI, FOCAL, SAFEKIBO, SANCUS, SHOW, NEoteRIC, TeamAware, INCISIVE, ENFLATE, SINNOGENES, DAIMON, CRANE, AVENUE, ALADDIN, myAirCoach, BADGER, ACMIMS funded by the EC, the Greek secretariat of Research and Technology, and industry.
Johanna Kallio (D.Sc. (Tech.)) is a Senior Scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in the Regenerative Living and Transport research area. Her work focuses on human-centric and data-driven AI solutions that help systems and environments adapt to people’s needs and changing contexts. She currently coordinates the Horizon Europe OptiPEx project, which develops ethical, user-centric technologies and services to enhance the passenger experience in public transport.
Antonio Lucas-Alba is Associate Professor of Basic Psychology at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, and holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Valencia. His research focuses on human behaviour and cognition in mobility and transport, including road-user behaviour, human–technology interaction, and public transport user experience. He is currently involved in the European OptiPEx project, contributing to research on passenger needs and the co-creation and evaluation of adaptive and inclusive public transport services.
Sign up now!
You can sign up for the webinar by filling in the form below; a Microsoft Teams invite will be sent to you following completion.