  A shared space area is a low-speed urban area in which pedestrians, cyclists,
and vehicles share the road, often relying on informal interaction rules and
greatly expanding freedom of movement for pedestrians and cyclists. While
shared space has the potential to improve pedestrian priority in urban areas,
it presents unique challenges for pedestrian-AV interaction due to the absence
of a clear right of way. The current study applied Virtual Reality (VR)
experiments to investigate pedestrian-AV interaction in a shared space, with a
particular focus on the impact of external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) on
pedestrian crossing behavior. Fifty-three participants took part in the VR
experiment and three eHMI conditions were investigated: no eHMI, eHMI with a
pedestrian sign on the windshield, and eHMI with a projected zebra crossing on
the road. Data collected via VR and questionnaires were used for objective and
subjective measures to understand pedestrian-AV interaction. The study revealed
that the presence of eHMI had an impact on participants' gazing behavior but
not on their crossing decisions. Additionally, participants had a positive user
experience with the current VR setting and expressed a high level of trust and
perceived safety during their interaction with the AV. These findings highlight
the potential of utilizing VR to explore and understand pedestrian-AV
interactions.
