Integrating Embodied Intelligence: A Three-Scenario Design Proposal for the Smart Vehicle Cabin

Abstract

The automotive industry is transitioning from "mechanical mobility tools" to the "Third Living Space." As Level 3+ autonomy reduces driving tasks, the cabin becomes a space for social interaction, work, and rest. However, current HMI remains trapped in "Screen-Centrism"—compressing 3D physical interactions into 2D GUIs—causing dual crises: cognitive overload for drivers and emotional alienation for passengers.This study constructs a design framework beyond GUI by introducing "Embodied Intelligence." Using an Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods design, we first conducted NLP on 145,820 social media entries to map user expectations, followed by Day Reconstruction Method inquiries with 30 families, revealing deep-seated pain points: "Black Box Anxiety" (rear-seat safety) and "Physical Barriers" to social interaction.Through phenomenological reduction, we propose the "Anchoring-Linking-Transforming" (A-L-T) framework: intelligence must build trust through Anchoring social roles, offload cognition through Linking multimodal environmental cues, and reconstruct social relations through Transforming physical space. As materialization, we present "Embodied-C"—featuring an eHMI System, Spatially Fluid Agent, and Modular Reconfigurable Console. This study offers a model for next-generation human-vehicle symbiosis, shifting from "Command-Control" to "Embodied Co-habitation."

Keywords: Smart Cabin, Embodied Cognition, Third Living Space

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007424