ASCS Brochure #2025 - Magazine - Page 41
How do you think the fundamental goal or area of
application of simulators has changed since the 1980s?
Every technical development is linked to certain
prerequisites. For example, the steam engine could only be
developed because the steam boiler had been invented first.
Simulators are always used when the real vehicle is more
expensive than using a simulator, or when the risk of danger
can be minimized in the simulator. It is important to clarify
which simulator is suitable or necessary for which
application. In my opinion, this has not yet been conclusively
clarified. Standardization of simulators, especially in training,
would certainly be useful here. Modern technologies in
vehicle construction enable the development of driver
assistance systems, right through to systems for
autonomous driving. A driving simulator is ideal for these
investigations. This also explains the rapid increase in the
number of driving simulators in automotive research.
Attempts are being made to compensate for the influence of
kinetosis by means of very complex motion systems with
translation paths of up to approx. 10 m or even 20 m and
more (Nads simulator, Toyot simulator). Due to the technical
advancement of computer technology in both real vehicles
and simulators, driving simulators are now more frequently
used in the development of driver assistance systems and for
acceptance studies relating to autonomous driving. Driving
simulators are also predominantly used in the medical field
to detect driver fatigue (either by analyzing driving behavior
or by analyzing biometric data such as eyelid closure
frequency and eye tracking). HIL applications in driving
simulation now allow real components to be integrated into
the simulation, for example. This enables systems to be
optimized at an early stage of development. Since tires with
their transient behavior are difficult to replicate in simulation,
we at Helmut Schmidt University integrated tires with their
transient behavior as real parts into the simulation by
connecting a tire test bench.
Which challenges that you identified in your research at
the time have now been solved by technological
advances such as AI or high-performance computing –
and which ones remain?
Modern computer technology with the appropriate software
makes the simulation environment relatively easy to operate
and program. In the past, research assistants who used a
driving simulator for their doctoral theses spent half their
working time programming vehicles and/or road layouts and
the behavior patterns of the simulated vehicles. Only then
could they address the questions required in their
dissertations regarding driving behavior and/or driver
behavior. The use of simulators has thus become much more
efficient. In order to investigate questions relating to driver
assistance systems, interactions with other road users are of
great relevance. This is taken into account, for example, by
linking several simulators or by considering AI-based driver
models.
When you were a doctoral candidate, were there any
visions or expectations of how simulators might
develop? To what extent has this become reality from
today's perspective – and what has perhaps surprised
you?
Expectations regarding the programming of vehicle models
and infrastructure, such as road scenarios and the behavior
of other vehicles, have developed astonishingly quickly. The
development of game engines has been particularly
beneficial for visualization in driving simulation. I was
surprised by the widespread use of simulators in automotive
research. Almost all car manufacturers have simulators,
some of which are very sophisticated, and/or simulation
centers. This is also due to the current focus on driver
assistance systems and autonomous driving.
Simulations are now used in a wide range of industries,
from the automotive industry to medicine. Are there any
fields in which you think simulators have been
underestimated or underused so far?
Of course, the use of simulators in the development of
vehicles and driver assistance systems, as well as in the
medical field for testing pharmaceuticals, is of paramount
importance. The choice of road layout and signage also has a
significant impact on driving safety. I am less familiar with
research in this area.
If you could start a new research project in the field of
simulation today, which topic or question would you find
particularly exciting?
The use and further development of driver assistance
systems is leading to autonomous driving. The driver should
be able to completely detach themselves from the task of
driving in order to focus on other tasks. This usually involves
looking at a monitor or a newspaper. This can lead to motion
sickness. The question that interests me is: How much
distraction from real traffic is necessary to be able to perform
secondary tasks, and how much distraction is tolerable
before the vehicle can safely take over again in real traffic?
Dear Dr. Tomaske, we would like to thank you very much
for your time, your openness, and the impressive
insights into your decades of research. Your experiences
and assessments enrich not only this brochure,
but also the discussion about the importance
of simulations in the present and future.
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