The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) has developed a driving simulator that can help vehicle designers and engineers calculate the “human factor” more easily. In a press release, the institute said that it was able to design an interactive vehicle simulator that vehicle engineers could use to investigate the properties of various components, so that they can find out how they react in the event of an accident. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics, which is headquartered in the German city of Kaiserslautern, is the largest application-oriented research organization in Europe, and in addition to doing research, it designs products and develops technologies that can be applied in the health care, telecommunications, and the automotive industry.
Researchers at the institute have created an interactive driving simulator using robot-based driving and operator simulator (RODOS), which resembles a regular flight simulator. According to them, the simulator is able to predict how reliable vehicle components are, and how energy efficient they are. The simulator recreates the influences and the elements a vehicle may be exposed to in a real world situation, and it takes driving behavior into account, as well.
As ITWM’s Dr Klaus Dreßler says: “Driving behavior is a key factor that is often insufficiently accounted for in computational models.” He added that there are algorithms that can represent the “human factor” in simulations, but they don’t reflect the complexity of human behavior properly. That’s why Fraunhofer’s simulator is similar to a flight simulator, which allows pilots to practice extreme situations.
RODOS Simulator
On the inside, the simulator has a real vehicle interior, equipped with a steering wheel, brakes, and accelerator. It is mounted on a 6-axis robotic structure, which simulates braking and acceleration, and it can rotate and tilt the simulator, so that it looks like it is entering a tight curve. In addition to these movements, the simulator provides the external impression of real driving on a large projection dome, thanks to 18 projectors that give a 300-degree view of the driver’s surroundings. According to project manager Michael Kleer, this simulator is a much better solution than kinematic systems that are usually used. He said: “We have much greater room to maneuver than with the kinematic systems usually employed today. At the same time, the space requirements are comparatively quite low.”
Many automakers use vehicle simulators to research vehicle design and different vehicle systems. They perform experiments where driver behavior is investigated, and how it affects vehicles. With the increased implementation of driver assistance systems in vehicles, simulators have to be able to reflect the human-machine interaction that is taking place in modern vehicles. Also, even though these types of simulators are quite expensive, they can help car makers save a lot of money in the long term, given that they can be used to test real components and how they respond to different driving situations, without having to build an entire prototype of a vehicle. This way, engineers can determine how different driving behaviors and habits affect the performance of a given part, which helps them improve the design of that part and make it more efficient.
To protect yourself and your family from an accident, make you have the right insurance coverage.