A “Low Cost” Approach to Fully-Immersive Engineering-Capable, Wheeled-Vehicle Driving Simulation

For the past two decades, realistic, high-performance driving simulation technology for human factors and vehicle prototyping applications has been the exclusive domain of multi-million dollar systems. Recent advances in open systems and modular computer architecture has allowed high-performance simulation platforms to evolve, incorporating sufficient accuracy for manufacturer's applications. The continuing reduction in the cost of high-performance computing and image generating hardware combined with the simulator's reduced operations and maintenance budgets feed the low cost side of this equation. Designing a simulator to be able to be operated by a broad spectrum of researchers and engineers requires a sophisticated and flexible operator's station with intuitive, icon-based graphical user interface (GUI) and scenario construction station. This paper describes the Century Series Mark II driving simulator (configured as an off-road Hummer) designed and built by I-SIM Corporation of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Its subsystems, design philosophy, performance issues, including the human factors concerns that must be considered for fully immersive applications and driver acceptance (attitude adjustment) are addressed