Screen success

October 2004

What do cannabis, mobile phones, young drivers, road markings and the latest vehicle technology have in common? All have been the subject of research in the Monash University Accident Research Centre's advanced driving simulator.

The centre, one of the world's leading accident and injury prevention research institutes, owns and operates the most advanced driving research simulator in the Southern Hemisphere (pictured right).

Senior research fellow Dr Michael Regan says there are very few driving simulators in the world that are more sophisticated than the one housed at the university's Clayton campus.

It is nearly 10 years since the Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) sponsored the design and building of a research simulator for a study, initiated and overseen by MUARC deputy director Professor Tom Triggs, into the skills lacking in young novice car drivers. The simulator was subsequently donated to MUARC in 1997.

The TAC study led to the production of Drive Smart, a free CD-ROM training program for Victorian learner drivers that takes them through interactive driving scenarios and quizzes. The impact of Drive Smart will be evaluated shortly when the TAC investigates if those who have used it have been involved in fewer crashes than those who have not.

Originally valued at more than $1.5 million, the simulator has since been used in more than 40 experiments examining a wide range of issues, says Dr Regan, who, together with Professor Triggs, has overseen almost all of the projects that use the simulator.

"It is constantly in demand from vehicle manufacturers, research organisations and government authorities," Dr Regan says. "It is used in a range of projects -- from fitness to drive as a result of alcohol, drugs, chronic illness and age, to the assessment of driving ability and the impact of new road and traffic designs and new vehicle technologies on driving performance."

The simulator is in the process of being upgraded, with major support from Holden, which has donated a new Holden Calais. The upgrade also includes new computer software and hardware and new projectors that display a range of driving conditions onto the curved front and rear screens.

One of the newest technologies being used in MUARC's simulator research is the Seeing Machines FaceLAB system, an eye movement monitoring system that uses a stereo image of the motorist's face and eyes to analyse head pose and eye behaviour, Dr Regan says.

"This system is currently being used to assess driver fatigue and will be very important in future research projects."

Action

For more information on the driving simulator, visit the simulator home page.