Researchers have created physics-based models that allow the computer to translate the pedal force into the right amount of acceleration in the virtual world. We'll explore the technology of driving simulators next. But researchers say that even the simplest simulators provide useful information about how drivers act in dangerous driving conditions. Some are more sophisticated and able to create a more immersive experience than others. Studying this wealth of information gives clues to how to design safer roads as well as how to protect a driver from him or herself.īut driving simulators come in all shapes and sizes. In the safety of a controlled, virtual reality, researchers study the effects of dangerous external driving situations as well as sleep deprivation, drug and alcohol impairment and cell phone distractions, among other things. Modern technology allows researchers to control every variable of the road while observing countless details about the driver, including eye movement, delay time and even brain activity. Given the death rate on the highways, research gathered with a sophisticated, realistic simulator is invaluable. And while video games typically imitate NASCAR or street drag races, labs use driving simulators that recreate average, albeit dangerous, driving situations. But it can be an even more immersive than that. If you've ever played a sit-down driving game in an arcade, you have a sense of what a driving simulator is.
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