Driving simulator to be used for training and research

BY JAMES J. LIDINGTON

You're tooling down the road in your Ford LTD Crown Victoria police cruiser and suddenly, from out of nowhere, a van cuts you off in traffic. Then, without warning, a bus in front of you slams on its brakes when a bicyclist begins crossing the road just ahead.

If that weren't bad enough, the sky changes all of a sudden from bright sun to fog, then to night, then snow, then rain. You make the mistake of asking yourself what else can go wrong, and one of your tires blows out.

A police officer's worst nightmare on the road?

Actually, these are just a few of the roadway scenarios that can be created by the new General Electric Capital I-Sim driving simulator installed this summer in the psychology department's Driving Research Center at Old Dominion University.

The self-contained unit features three 40-inch television monitors, each run by a separate computer, that display a fully interactive, wrap-around view of the road in front of the driver, who sits in a comfortably padded seat. Inset views on each of the screens serve as side- and rearview mirrors. Dashboard controls are straight out of a modern automobile, down to air conditioning knobs.

With its ability to simulate hundreds of situations - involving many types of military, public safety and civilian vehicles in virtually any combination of weather, light and traffic - the I-Sim is a valuable tool in the psychology department's driving behavior program and could eventually be a regional magnet for driver training because of the machine's flexibility, said Carryl Baldwin, assistant professor of psychology and the manager of Old Dominion's Driving Research Center.

"We're still getting comfortable with it and working out the little bugs," she said.

According to the GE Web site, the simulator offers programs for long-haul freight carriers, emergency vehicle operators, fire departments, motor coach carriers, public transportation and fleet vehicle operators. The goal is to make safe driving profitable by reducing accidents, improving driver skills, increasing fuel economy, saving costs and saving lives.

In addition to the seat and driver's console, the simulator - which carries a price tag of more than $120,000 - has been equipped by the Old Dominion Driving Research Center with a Gateway laptop computer and a separate PC to simulate different types of on-board guidance systems - such as Onstar - the subject of a pilot study now under way at the lab. Test drivers are currently getting information regarding traffic directions through verbal and text messages.

"We're looking at the performance and mental workload of those drivers," Baldwin said. "We're measuring their reaction time and their brain activity as an index of their workload in different driving situations. We're determining in what situations it would be better to read that message than hear it."

Baldwin, a second-year faculty member, said auditory messages have several advantages over text messages, though they can be more distracting to the driver. The most obvious advantage of verbal messages is they do not require drivers to take their eyes off the road, she said.

Additionally, auditory messages are more appropriate for less-experienced drivers and also result in better driving performance by older drivers. But, text messages are more permanent, allowing the driver to recheck a previous message as driving conditions permit, Baldwin said. The disadvantage of auditory messages is that they can be difficult to remember, particularly if presented while the driver is engaged in another driving task such as changing lanes in heavy traffic, she added.

Vehicles equipped with integrated systems that lower radio volume when the messages are given are best, Baldwin said. When individual components such as collision avoidance systems, routing and navigational aids, and a host of new "infotainment" systems are installed in a piecemeal fashion, the interference from each system must be considered.

"One certainly wouldn't want an electronic alert notifying you that you have a new e-mail presented simultaneously with the

instruction that it is time to plan your next turn or that you are about to collide with a vehicle in your blind spot," Baldwin said.

The car of the future will require training in the use of these advanced systems. Ironically, older drivers who are now most able to afford such sophisticated options in their cars are the ones least able to process the variety of stimuli these systems present.

Another pilot study being conducted by the Driving Research Center is an examination of in-vehicle collision-avoidance systems.

"Evidence shows that collision-avoidance systems need to be auditory," Baldwin said, noting that considerable research is still needed to determine the best way to program these systems. "You want a system that will alert you to a hazard, but you don't want it to be going off all the time."

Through the center, the university plans to sell time in the simulator to private- and public-sector organizations such as truck driving firms and local military and law enforcement agencies, which can benefit from an inexpensive and safe environment in which to train drivers and test new in-vehicle systems and communication products.

Old Dominion's Driving Research Center has also equipped the simulator with hookups for recording EEG (electroencephalogram) and ERP (event related potential), which can detect brain wave patterns in drivers in response to different driving situations and particular events. This information is useful in examining such conditions as driver fatigue, mental workload and spatial navigation ability, Baldwin said.