Device control based on a user's physical setting

A computer program product for controlling a self-driving vehicle (SDV), the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage device having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable and executable by a computer to perform a method comprising:

• receiving, from one or more physical sensors, state readings that describe a physical environment of multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another;
• determining, based on the physical state readings that describe the physical environment of the multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another,
• a context for the multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another, wherein the context describes a physical setting in which the multiple persons are located;
• identifying, based on the context that describes the physical setting in which the multiple persons are located, a state of the multiple persons;
• and
• transmitting, to a device controller of a self-driving vehicle (SDV), a device activation signal to activate the SDV, wherein the device activation signal directs the SDV to transport cargo that one of the multiple persons was previously scheduled to transport, wherein the device activation signal is transmitted to the device controller of the SDV via a user communication device, wherein the user communication device is in wireless communication with the device controller of the SDV, wherein the user communication device wirelessly transmits the device activation signal to the device controller of the SDV in response to the user communication device coming within a predefined distance of the device controller of the SDV, and wherein the device controller of the SDV is inactive until the user communication device is within the predefined distance of the device controller of the SDV.

A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories, and one or more computer readable storage mediums, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage mediums for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more computer readable memories, the stored program instructions comprising:

• program instructions to receive, from one or more physical sensors, physical state readings that describe a physical environment of multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another;
• program instructions to determine, based on the physical state readings that describe the physical environment of the multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another,
• a context for the multiple persons that are in spatial proximity with one another, wherein the context describes a physical setting in which the multiple persons are located;
• program instructions to identify, based on the context that describes the physical setting in which the multiple persons are located, a state of the multiple persons;
• and
• program instructions to transmit, to a device controller of a self-driving vehicle (SDV), a device activation signal to activate the SDV, wherein the device activation signal directs the SDV to transport cargo that one of the multiple persons was previously scheduled to transport, wherein the device activation signal is transmitted to the device controller of the SDV via a user communication device, wherein the user communication device is in wireless communication with the device controller of the SDV, wherein the user communication device wirelessly transmits the device activation signal to the device controller of the SDV in response to the user communication device coming within a predefined distance of the device controller of the SDV, and wherein the device controller of the SDV is inactive until the user communication device is within the predefined distance of the device controller of the SDV.