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Driving Simulation
Simulation is a powerful tool for transportation research, offering total control of environmental and traffic conditions and complete security when examining safety-critical issues such as driver distraction and impairment. The HumanFIRST Program operates one of the most advanced driving environment simulation systems at any academic institution in the United States, giving our researchers access to state-of-the-art research tools not available elsewhere.
Driving environment simulator
The HumanFIRST Program’s main simulation tool is a partial-motion driving environment simulator (DES) manufactured by Oktal. The DES is built around a 2002 Saturn SC2 full vehicle cab featuring realistic control operation and instrumentation including force feedback on the steering and realistic power assist feel for the brakes. The simulator provides high fidelity simulation for all sensory channels to generate a realistic presence within the simulated environment. The visual scene is projected to a high-resolution (2.5 arc-minutes per pixel) five-channel, 210-degree forward field of view with rear and side mirror views provided by a rear screen and vehicle-mounted LCD panels.
The DES system software can generate any type of road environment including precise reproductions of geospecific locations under a range of lighting and weather conditions, including realistic vehicle headlight models for night driving. Auditory and haptic feedback is provided by a 3D surround sound system, car body vibration, and a three-axis electric motion system producing roll, pitch, and yaw motion within a limited range of movement (partial-motion). These systems generate natural sound and motion cues to increase the perceived realism and ecological validity of the simulation.
Additional devices are fitted to support the design and evaluation of vehicle telematics systems and auditory, visual, and haptic feedback interfaces. The DES is integrated with a 40-channel psycho-physiological recording unit to support the measurement of driver brain activities (such as Evoked Response Potential paradigms), a high accuracy eye-tracker that uses specialized software to determine which specific objects the driver is looking at in the dynamic 3D world, and a series of touch screens that can be employed to deliver instructions or to deliver in-vehicle secondary tasks.
Using a variety of simulated road user types (including pedestrians and bicyclists with realistic motion), any type of traffic scenario can be simulated and dynamically triggered based on traffic conditions and driver responses (e.g., eye-glance behavior, interaction with vehicle controls). Collectively, the DES allows for the comprehensive measurement of driver performance in terms of behavioral metrics, subjective experience, and psycho-physiological response.