REVIEW OF AUTOMOBILE SIMULATOR RESEARCH

The driving simulation literature was critically examined from a number of perspectives. Information on type of simulation, research focus, variables measured, and fidelity of simulation was presented for simulators with inside-out and outside-in visual displays. A wide variety of visual displays have been employed including TV projected image; TV virtual image; TV monitors; direct optical; film; computer generated car on moving belts; and point light source rear projection. The research focus was usually upon four topics: the effect of drugs upon driver performance; the relationship between driver performance in simulated and real world situations; comparison of drivers with different characteristics; and driver response as a function of equipment. The variables measured by different investigators are varied and there is no generally accepted measuring technique for any of the variables. In order to organize the review, two tables were constructed. One table lists the author(s), type of simulator, research focus, variables measured, and fidelity information for those studies which used inside-out visual displays. An inside-out visual display is one which the driver views the scene as he would from inside a real automobile. In another table the same categories of information are presented for those studies using outside-in visual displays. With an outside-in visual display, the driver views a model car or cursor which he controls. The scientific equivalence between simulated and real world driving is a basic problem. There are methodological, statistical, and empirical issues which place in question many driver simulation studies. It was concluded that future research should provide more information on the fidelity and validity of simulation; drug studies and investigations with outside-in simulators should be curtailed until the scientific equivalence is established; more emphasis should be placed on expanding upon strong relationships between driver and equipment characteristics which affect the efficiency of the total driving system.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the Symposium on Psychological Aspects of Driver Behavior, The Netherlands, 1971.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Safety Council, Safety Research Info Serv

  425 North Michigan Avenue
  Chicago, IL  United States  60611
• Authors:
  • Barrett, G V
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Driver performance; Drivers; Driving simulators; Drugs; Human characteristics; Personnel performance; Reaction time; Real time control; Real time data processing; Variables; Visual aids
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver characteristics; Driver reaction
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00080729
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper, HS-013 465, HS-013 461
• Files: HSL, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 26 1975 12:00AM