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 Human Factors Safety Laboratory 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.
Immersive Driving Simulator
The driving environment simulator (DES) is an immersive driving simulator originally manufactured by Autosim AS and upgraded by Realtime Technologies. The DES operates with a 2013 Ford Fusion full-vehicle cab with realistic operation of controls 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 (1.3 arc-minutes per pixel) five-channel 210-degree forward field of view with rear and side mirror views provided by a rear screen and LCD panels.
A custom-fitted glass cockpit includes a dashboard LCD and center stack touch-screen display that can replicate any configuration of vehicle gauges and display. The touch-screen center stack can create any variety of vehicle-user interfaces including navigation systems, phone/email/text interfaces, audio systems, environmental controls, and research-oriented secondary tasks.
Any road environment can be created in the simulator, including precise reproductions of geo-specific locations under a range of realistic lighting and weather conditions. Auditory and haptic feedback is provided by two separate 3D surround sound systems (internal and external), car body vibration, and a three-axis electric motion system that creates roll, pitch, and Z-axis motion within a limited range of movement (partial-motion). The simulator is compatible with Simulink, enabling additional components or control systems to be readily integrated into the system.
Portable Driving Environment Simulator
The Portable Driving Environment Simulator manufactured by Realtime Technologies is a complete driving simulator mounted on a portable chassis. The portability of this simulator allows the Human Factors Safety Laboratory to conduct human factors research at remote locations (e.g., retirement centers and rural communities) or at sites where it is inconvenient for participants to travel to the simulation facility at the Human Factors Safety Laboratory. The portable simulator utilizes the same scenario software as the immersive simulator, enabling research experiments to be readily transferred from one simulator to the other without additional development costs.
The portable simulator consists of a driver seat, vehicle controls (pedals, steering, and transmission), and vehicle gauges on a custom-fabricated chassis. Three 32-inch high-definition displays provide the forward view with rear-view mirror displays inset on the forward view. An LCD panel provides a dashboard using the same display software as the immersive simulator on a smaller screen, enabling any configuration of display or gauge to be utilized.
The use of identical simulation software allows a ready means to exchange research devices between the simulators.
Multimedia observation suite
This suite includes video and photo recording devices and multi-media editing software used to prepare instructions and demonstrations. The suite is configured with Observer software to support observational analyses of driver behavior recorded on video. These analyses are used to supplement and interpret other data sources recorded in the simulator, test track, and on-road test environments.