Validity of primary driving tasks in head-mounted display-based driving simulators

The development of new car interior concepts requires tools, particularly in development phases before concept milestones, which enable subjective experiences and evaluations in static and driving situations. On the one hand, variant comparisons are necessary; on the other hand, the level of immersion should be high enough that participants can behave as they would in real cars. Virtual reality technologies and especially head-mounted displays are generally very suitable for such evaluations with the exception being in state-of-the-art driving simulators. Therefore, a validation study was undertaken in which primary driving tasks in two HMD-based simulators were compared with test runs in a real car. The difference between the simulators was only the state of the motion base (enabled vs. disabled). In both simulators and the test runs in the real car, four identical scenarios (straight, curves, overtaking and junction) were carried out. Since the focus is primarily on subjective ratings and gaze behaviour when evaluating new car interior concepts, in this study gaze behaviour was also priority. In addition, driving dynamics parameters were measured. The results reveal that the participants show more valid behaviour in the dynamic system than in the static simulator condition.

Automated summary

The development of new car interior concepts requires tools that enable subjective experiences and evaluations, with virtual reality technologies being generally suitable for such evaluations but exceptions may exist in state-of-the-art driving simulators. In a validation study comparing primary driving tasks in two HMD-based simulators with test runs in a real car, participants showed more valid behavior in the dynamic system than in the static simulator condition.