Preliminary Validation of Driving Simulator Based on Forward Speed

Abstract

This research was a preliminary step in the process of determining whether the driving simulator at the University of Central Florida (UCF) provides a realistic driving experience. Thirty volunteers from the driving population were asked to drive an instrumented car along a section of road on the UCF campus. A distance measurement instrument provided a log of instantaneous speed, cumulative distance, and elapsed time at designated points along the route for subsequent analysis. The second phase of the research entailed driving in the UCF driving simulator, which consists of a complete vehicle cab with a wraparound screen for displaying computer-generated images of a synthetic road and surroundings. Computer-generated imagery of the identical campus road and environment was viewable to the subjects in the simulator. Drivers were asked to perform the same task in the simulator as they did in the real driving environment. Identical information was acquired during field testing and the simulation runs. Speed data from the field and simulator were analyzed using conventional statistical tests to determine whether drivers responded differently in the simulator compared with their response during the real driving experience. Preliminary results of the statistical analysis indicated that the drivers behaved similarly at 10 of 16 designated locations along the road. Confidence intervals for the difference between the simulator and the field mean speeds indicated a tendency of drivers to travel at slower speeds in the simulator. These results, along with qualitative feedback from the subjects concerning the handling characteristics of the simulator, are being studied to determine the necessary simulator refinements and upgrades required before additional validation testing.