Simulation for education and training
Industry research bodies - cars - trucks - buses - universities - rail - marine - military - government
Universities. As simulators become commonplace in automotive and motorsport companies, as well as some of their suppliers, universities and research institutions are increasingly investing in the same sophisticated levels of simulator technology. Cruden is supplying simulators to leading universities, such as the University of Hertfordshire's engineering and technology department which supplies many graduates each year to Formula One teams, and working alongside academics to prepare motorsport's next generation of simulator development engineers.
To learn about the role a Cruden simulator plays in education at Loughborough University's Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering school, click here.
Training. Organisations that invest in full motion interactive simulators for training purposes range from driving schools looking to build the confidence and develop driving skills of young drivers in every possible motoring scenario, to the armed forces which have hundreds of complex military vehicles and thousands of personnel to train. Drivers, whether soldiers or city bus drivers, can be trained more quickly, effectively and safely using a motion simulator. Machinery can be tested realistically in a virtual world and in multiple scenarios compared to real exercise training.
HMI interface research. We work with leading institutions in both the private and public sectors to help them better understand the interface between humans and machine. The outcomes of experimentation into factors affecting driving performance, often used in conjunction with other new technologies such as eye-tracking, are later seen in the form of new legislation, vehicle technologies and driver training programmes.
One such project is a new motion simulator research application project by Cruden, Noldus, Smart Eye, Delft Technical University and VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute. The 'DRIVOBS' project aims to increase knowledge of the ways drivers use vision, motion, and other information to control vehicles. The result will eventually be a set of simulation products for the automotive market to aid the development of vehicle dynamic control systems, active safety systems, infotainment systems and human machine interfaces, and for the training of professional test drivers. Driver behaviour is observed using camera vision, physiological measurements and system identification in complex driving scenarios such as highway and city driving.
