Description of the simulator
Specifications
The DriveSafety driving simulator is a high fidelity system designed to provide
drivers with some of the sights, sounds, and sensations of driving without
exposing them to dangers of the road.
Advantages of simulator research:
There are three principal advantages to using simulators in driving research:
* Simulators permit close control of traffic events ordinarily not possible in actual driving situations
* Simulators enable drivers to be tested safely under the challenging driving conditions most likely to
produce crashes in real-life
* An integrated simulator system costs less than the alternatives (an instrumented car or custom-built
software)
The University of Guelph Simulator has a number of specific advantages:
* It is a higher fidelity system (better graphics, vehicle dynamics, and modeled traffic environments)
* Better measurement precision (vehicle movements, driver responses) and programming flexibility
* It is versatile, and has been used successfully with other equipment such as eye track monitors and
cellular phones
* The simulator has a high quality wide-angle visual display, necessary for the research in question
Features of the simulator
Hardware:
* A Saturn 4-door sedan with the engine removed
* Sound and vibration transducers
* Six 7-foot projection screens, each permitting the projection of a 50 degree display
* Six LCD display systems (1200 lumens)
* Six image generation PC's (1024 X 768 resolution)
* Three video monitors
* Eight miniature cameras for real time visual monitoring, which enable researchers to film the driver from the front
(head, shoulders, feet shot), the back (to film hand and control movement), and from the room outside the car
* Measures 45 standard variables, representing all driver inputs and all vehicle states, and audio and video recordings
of the driver can also be made
* Standard controls, as well as audio and vibration transducers and force feedback designed to provide a reasonably
realistic driving experience
Software:
* Two major software systems: the research simulation software; and the driving environment modeling software.
* Runs at 60 Hz, and has a real time performance latency of 20 ms. The minimal lag between a driver action and the
response of the system reduces the likelihood that the drivers will experience simulator sickness
* Realistic modeling of many different road, weather, and lighting conditions and permits precise control of traffic
events such as the behavior of other drivers and vehicles in the simulated environment
* Permits programming of complex and closely timed interactions between actions and simulator events, necessary
when studying the attentional switching between events
