Automation Transparency

The degree to which an automated or autonomous system communicates its current state, intent, and reasoning to the humans who depend on it. In autonomous transport, transparency includes cues such as "holding position for traffic," docking countdowns, or explanations of obstacle-avoidance manoeuvres. Accessibility practice requires that transparency signals be multimodal — audio, visual, and ideally tactile — and phrased in plain language, so that passengers with sensory or cognitive disabilities can form accurate expectations and calibrate trust without relying on implicit social cues from staff.