Driving Simulator Lab

The Driving Simulator Lab houses a motion-based driving simulator to support faculty and students for advanced research and education in automotive systems, human factor and ergonomics, human-machine interaction, and driver behavioral studies.  The DSL is located in the Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems, 1080 IAVS, in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

The simulator consists of the following main components: (1) a driver occupant  platform with professional driving interface units (seat, pedals, steering wheel with stalks), a glass cockpit and center console touch screen, a high-end digital audio system with sub-woofer and 4 satellite speakers, and a vibration actuator; (2) a 6-DOF motion base and control loading system for force feedback on the steering wheel and a transport frame; (3) a visual system based on 3 displays mounted on the simulator top frame; and (4) Panthera simulation software fully integrated with the following application software:

• CARSIM: various vehicle dynamics models, including sedans and SUVs
• 3D Unity for operating 3D objects in the simulation
• SimSound for simulating noise and vibration
• iMotion: physiological sensors (heart signal (ECG) and skin conductance (GSR))
• Tobii eye tracker used to analyze the profile of driver’s attention
• Siemens PreScan/Aimsun for sensor modeling and generating various traffic scenarios and environments

We also have a separate desktop simulator that can interact (or co-simulate) with the main simulator in real time. This can be used to create various on-road interactions or troubleshooting driving scenarios.

Currently, the DSL is in discussion with Cruden to build a special Detroit road network, realistic traffic scenes in a US urban environment, and autonomous driving functions or features for our faculty use in HMI and AV research. The 3D driving environment will be built based on a section of urban roads in the city of Detroit and a highway loop section.

For scheduling a visit, please contact Monica Somand, [email protected], and Ian Beattie, [email protected]. For research projects and teaching activities, please contact Professor Yi Lu Murphey, [email protected].