SZTE Innovation Award Winner Research Group

The aim of our research group

is to create a social-technological integration that would maximize the advantages of autonomous technology and minimize its drawbacks. We aim at rephrasing the notion of AV-readiness and interpret it on two levels: individual and urban. For both levels we are developing a multidisciplinary method involving neuroscientific tools.

The significance of our research

is that it can constitute a methodological breakthrough in research on the expanded technological acceptance and reception of autonomous vehicles, and it promotes the extension of this method to newly emerging technologies. Our research provides the scientific basis for a highly significant social expediency: it enables the assimilation of autonomous vehicles into the current social system in a way that communities can maximize the technology’s advantages and minimize its drawbacks, negative effects. Compared to the domestic and international competitors in the tendered field of research, our tender’s uniqueness and strength is as follows:

1. It points out that developing self-driving vehicles is not only a technical-technological-information technology project, but it also necessitates the social-scientific and integrated examination of the receptive environment (individuals and cities) together with the increase of AV-readiness.
2. Instead of the traditional TAM and UTAUT-based data collection method through queries, we assess biological processes with modern neuroscientific tools.
3. We record biological reactions during travels in self-driving cars using eye-tracking and EEG.
4. As, besides the acceptance of technology, introducing autonomous vehicles involves several other factors that affect the individual’s life (conceptual, space-related, economic etc. consequences), it does not suffice to assess only the acceptance of technology, we are conducting a complex examination on other aspects as well.
5. To fill the gap, we are assigning the area-related AV-readiness to cities since the critical mass and spatial concentration of autonomous vehicles will emerge in urban areas, and it raises a complex issue which requires the utmost planning and preparation.
6. We are handling the AV-readiness levels (individual, territorial unit) and its factors (technology, infrastructure, regulation, consumer acceptance) in an integrated way and are examining a complex system using the logic of socio-technical integration, all with a responsible innovative attitude. This way AV-readiness can be defined in a more complex, precise and objective manner.

Our neuroscientific approach

In our recent project we moved beyond merely asking people about their thoughts and attitudes towards self-driving vehicles. We measured their physiological responses in real-world experimental settings using eye-tracking and EEG measures simultaneously. A typical test run included both human driven and autonomous conditions in the same vehicle, in a safe environment presented at a local airport. Our goal is to understand the cognitive/physiological correlates of being exposed to larger autonomously driven transportation systems and to create a useful neuropsychological toolbox assisting the development of such systems. In the spectrum analysis of the eye-tracking data recorded in 34 individuals taking short rides in the front passenger seat we found statistically significant differences in the complex patterns of eye-movements. Namely the structure of movements of different magnitudes were less variable in the autonomous drive conditions. Identifying thet source of the measured difference may require further tests (it could be the effect of the difference in driving styles).

EEG data revealed that human and autonomous conditions evoked different EEG response patterns: while participants: the affective state was less positive when the vehicle was in autonomous mode while arousal did not differ between the two conditions. Besides, relationship with personality was also explored.

Our preliminary findings reinforced our initial hypothesis that passenger experience in human and machine navigated conditions entail different physiological and psychological correlates and those differences are accessible using state of the art in-world measurements. Useful dimensions of passenger experience may serve as a source of information both for the improvement and design of self-navigating technology and for market related concerns.

Our researchers

Dr. Miklós Lukovics, Principal Investigator of the project is a certified economist, possessing a PhD in economic sciences. He is an associate professor with habilitation at the University of Szeged, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration; and a member of the responsible innovation research group at the Arizona State University, where they study the social science projections of emerging technologies. The practical aspects of today’s hottest technological novelties stand in the focus of Miklós Lukovics’s research interest. The total number of his scientific publications is 157 (54 of them are in English), 720 references have been made to his work, his H-index is 16.

Dr. Szabolcs Prónay works as an associate professor at the University of Szeged in the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. He received his PhD degree on the topic of brand symbolism and brand loyalty and did his habilitation on the topic of consumer choice analysis. As a young scholar Szabolcs Prónay received the ‘Kürthy Pál award’ of the Hungarian Academy of Science, which is dedicated to talented young marketing researchers. His educational achievements were recognized with the “Best Young Lecturer of University of Szeged” award at 2020. His research activities explore the dimensions of symbolic consumption and the consumers attitude towards innovation. Aside from education and research Szabolcs Prónay is an active member of the community as being the founding member of Marketing Club and Innovation Club of University of Szeged and an elected board member of the largest Hungarian marketing academic association (EMOK).

Dr. Márta Volosin, psychologist, works as a senior lecturer at University of Szeged in the Faculty of Psychology. She received PhD in the topic of electrophysiological correlates of the attention-distraction balance, and in the same year her scientific achievements were recognized with the Award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences for Young Researchers. She conducts research utilizing the method of EEG since 2012. Her preliminary research interests are behavioral and neuroscientific correlates of human attentional and cognitive processes.

Dr. Zsolt Palatinus, assistant professor (or senior lecturer) at University of Szeged, Institute of Psychology, Department of Cognition and Neuropsychology. He received his PhD in experimental psychology in 2013 at the Center of Ecological Study of Perception and Action at the University of Connecticut. His dissertation investigated the role of recorded head movements in recognition and intention. His current research focuses on finding useful information of cognitive processes using various complexity measures from recorded motion based intensity such as eye movements, head movements, breathing, heart rate, video or sound.

Dr. Péter Kovács, a Hungarian statistician, get his Mathematics diploma in Mathematics, PhD and habilitation in Economics. He is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Statistics and Demography at the University of Szeged. In addition, he is a vice president of the Hungarian Statistical Association and the chair of the Statistics Scientific Subcommittee of the Hungarian Academy of Science. His main research interests are statistical and financial literacy, statistics education development and multivariate statistical models. He leads a research group on financial literacy and takes part in several research projects for instance in ProCivicStat.

Prof. Dr. Márta Görög, lawyer, professor and chair of the Department of Civilistic Sciences at the Faculty of Law (University of Szeged). She obtained her PhD degree in 2007 in the field of personality rights, and received her habilitation on the topic of trade secrets and know-how. Her main research fields are intellectual property rights, legal aspects of IPR-transfer, legal liability and right to privacy. She is the former president of the association of private law teachers. She is a member of the management of several major professional organizations / associations.

Dr. Zoltán Majó-Petri received his PhD degree in 2008 on the topic of electronic human resource management (e-HRM). He currently works as an associate professor at the University of Szeged at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Zoltán Majó-Petri is the lecturer of several BA and MA management courses (including career management, information management and e-business). He has been the Committee Chairman of the Faculty Distance Learning Program more than 10 years. His research activities explore the various dimensions of information society including e-learning, e-business and digital competencies.

Key publications

Palatinus et al. (2025): Passenger physiology in self-driving vehicles during unexpected events, Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-81960-4

Szabolcs Prónay, Miklós Lukovics, Tamás Ujházi, (2025): Teenage dreams of self-driving cars: Findings of a UTAUT-based conjoint analysis among the 14–19 age group, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Volume 29, 101304, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2024.101304

Lukovics, M., & Ujházi, T. (2024). Young adults’ preferences on the potential changes in urban environment triggered by AVs in Hungary. Journal of Urban Design, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2024.2422375

M. Lukovics, S. Prónay and B. Nagy, "Segmented Trust Assessment in Autonomous Vehicles via Eye-Tracking," in Journal of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 151-161, June 2024, doi: 10.26599/JICV.2023.9210037

Volosin M, Kálnay M, Bánffi Á, Nyeső N, Molnár GV, Palatinus Z, et al. (2024) The leading role of personality in concerns about autonomous vehicles. PLoS ONE 19(6): e0301895. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0301895

Miklos, Lukovics., Barbara, Nagy., & Szabolcs, Pronay. (2024). Five user types of autonomous driving in Hungary. Engineering Management in Production and Services, 16(4), 116-126. doi: 10.2478/emj-2024-0036

Lukovics, M. (2024). A városi önvezetőjármű-felkészültség kulcstényezőinek meghatározása strukturált szöveg- és tartalomelemzéssel. Modern Geográfia, 19(4), 85–109. https://doi.org/10.15170/MG.2024.19.04.05

Kovács P. – Lukovics, M. (2024): Statistical analysis of Hungarian cities’ autonomous vehicle preparedness: correlations, ranking and neural network. Regional Statistics, Vol. 14. No. 5. 2024: 922–944; DOI: 10.15196/RS140505

Lukovics, M., & Ujházi , T. (2024). Városképi változások és önvezető járművek: a fiatal városlakók öt perszóna típusa Magyarországon. Észak-magyarországi Stratégiai Füzetek, 21(03), 35–55. https://doi.org/10.32976/stratfuz.2024.25

Nagy, B., Prónay, S. és Lukovics, M. (2024) „A szem a technológia elfogadás tükre: az önvezető járművek iránti bizalom szegmentált megragadása szemmozgás-követéssel”, Marketing & Menedzsment, 58(1), o. 5–14. doi: 10.15170/MM.2024.58.01.01

Lukovics M. – Ujházi T. – Prónay Sz. (2024): Az önvezető járművek elfogadásának társadalomtudományi vetületei – Kutatási lehetőségek és módszertani korlátok. Polgári Szemle, 19. évf. 4–6. szám, 2023, 266–280., DOI: 10.24307/psz.2023.1220

Kecskés, E., - Lukovics, M. (2024). Az önvezetőflotta-használat költségelőnyeinek lehetséges hatása a magyar városok mobilitására. Észak-magyarországi Stratégiai Füzetek, 21(01), 82–97. https://doi.org/10.32976/stratfuz.2024.7

Lukovics, M. – Prónay, Sz. – Majó-Petri, Z. – Kovács, P. – Ujházi, T. – Volosin, M. – Palatinus, Zs. – Keszey, T. (2023): Combining survey-based and neuroscience measurements in customer acceptance of self-driving technology, Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, Volume 95, Pages 46-58, ISSN 1369-8478. DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2023.03.016

Zuti B. - Lukovics M. (2023): Az önvezető járművek elfogadása viselkedés-gazdaságtani szemléletben. A nudge szerepe a fenntartható városi mobilitás kialakításában. KÖZGAZDASÁGI SZEMLE, LXX. ÉVF., 2023. FEBRUÁR (149–166. o.). DOI: 10.18414/KSZ.2023.2.149.

Lukovics Miklós – Nádas Nikoletta (2022): A felelősségteljes innováció szerepe az autonóm járművek és a társadalom viszonyrendszerében. Polgári Szemle, 18. évf. 4–6. szám, 2022, 295–317., DOI: 10.24307/psz.2022.1221

Nagy, B. – Prónay , Sz. – Lukovics , M. (2022): „Én vezessek, te vezetsz vagy önvezet? – az önvezetőjármű-elfogadás öt perszóna típusa Magyarországon”, Marketing & Menedzsment, 56(2), o. 23–34. DOI: 10.15170/MM.2022.56.02.03

Palatinus, Zs. – Volosin, M. – Csábi, E. – Hallgató, E. – Hajnal, E. - Lukovics, M. – Prónay, Sz. – Ujházi, T. – Osztobányi, L. – Szabó, B. – Králik, T. – Majó-Petri, Z. (2022): Physiological measurements in social acceptance of self driving technologies. Scientific Reports 12, 13312. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17049-7

Prónay, S. - Lukovics, M. - Kovács, P. - Majó-Petri, Z. - Ujházi, T. - Palatinus, Z. - Volosin, M. (2022): Pánik próbája a mérés: Avagy önvezető technológiák elfogadásának valós idejű vizsgálata neurotudományi mérésekkel. Vezetéstudomány / Budapest Management Review, 53(7), 48–62. DOI: 10.14267/VEZTUD.2022.07.05

Lukovics, M. - Prónay, Sz. - Majó-Petri, Z. - Kovács, P. - Ujházi, T. - Volosin, M. - Palatinus, Zs. - Keszey, T. (2022): The Complementary Role of Survey-Based and Neuroscience Measurements in Modeling Customer Acceptance of Self-Driving Technology. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4147634. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4147634

Kovács P. – Lukovics M. (2022): Factors influencing public acceptance of self-driving vehicles in a post-socialist environment: Statistical modelling in Hungary. Regional Statistics, Vol. 12. No. 2. 2022 Online first: Kovács–Lukovics 1–28; DOI: 10.15196/RS120206

Palatinus, Zs. – Volosin, M. – Csábi, E. – Hallgató, E. – Hajnal, E. - Lukovics, M. – Prónay, Sz. – Ujházi, T. – Osztobányi, L. – Szabó, B. – Králik, T. – Majó-Petri, Z. (2021): Physiological Measurements in Social Acceptance of Self Driving Technologies. Scientific Reports, Preprint, DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-209603/v1

Lukovics M. – Zuti B. – Fisher E. – Kézy B. (2020): Autonomous cars and responsible innovation. In Andreász Kosztopulosz – Éva Kuruczleki (eds.) (2020): The Challenges of Analyzing Social and Economic Processes in the 21st Century. University of Szeged Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Szeged, DOI: 10.14232/casep21c.2

Lukovics, M. - Flipse, S. M. - Udvari, B. - Fisher, E. (2017): Responsible research and innovation in contrasting innovation environments: Socio-Technical Integration Research in Hungary and the Netherlands. Technology in Society, 51C, pp. 172-182

A Responsible Innovation Approach Towards Autonomous Vehicles Readiness: Socio-Technical Integration with Neuroscience and Urban Aspects
PROJECT FINANCED FROM THE NRDI FUND, Project ID: K 137571