In our laboratory of Soso-Kan (Building No.14) underground, we have a driving simulator (DS) to conduct the experimental research related to driving a car. This driving simulato r has a real car body and a 360-degree field of view. Its driving maneuver is almost the same procedure as that of the real car equipped with the automatic transmission (AT). Room mirror and right/left side mirrors are also same as that of the real car. Therefore, the driver can see the images on the backward screens through the mirrors with the polarizing film, instead of the LCD monitor or the inset images on the front screen.
The DS is equipped with a six-degree-of-freedom electric motion system under the car body and it reproduces not only the vibrations generated by the road surface or the seam between the roads(joint) when vehicle is running but also vehicle movement in the axes with pitch, roll and yaw based its acceleration/deceleration. In the DS, typical visual database (CG image) are as follows.
・Virtual urban area (Standard urban area, New urban area)
・Virtual highway
・Kannai/Minato-Mirai District (Center area of Yokohama city)
・Metropolitan expressway, Route 3 and 6 (Mukojima Ramp -> Toshinkanjo (Inner Circular Route) -> Shibuya Ramp, Takagicho Ramp -> Toshinkanjo (Inner Circular Route) -> Ryogoku Junction)
・Metropolitan expressway, Route 4 (Hatagaya Ramp -> Miyakezaka Junction, Miyakezaka Junction -> Hatagaya Ramp)
・Metropolitan expressway, Ohashi Junction (between Route 3 and Central Circular Route)
・Metropolitan expressway, Nishi-Shinjuku Junction (between Route 4 and Central Circular Route)
・Tomei expressway (Gotemba Interchange -> Entrance of Azumayama Tunnel)
At present, we can create visual database of road environment freely. (however it is not possible to reflect the road gradient into visual database) |
We use AIMSUN NG 6.0 (TSS) as a traffic simulator (TS). The function of the TS is partly modified so that it can cooperate with the DS and provides traffic flow based on arbitrary parameters in the visual database of Kannai/Minatomirai District. In the cooperative situation between the TS and the DS, the driving maneuver of the DS can be assigned for any vehicle in traffic flow, in which is generated by the TS, and therefore, a driver of the DS can experience any traffic conditions.
rototype vehicle of "co-mobility society". The vehicle was a single-seater controlled by automatic/remote/manual operation. We conducted several experiments on the design and evaluation of HMI and the analysis of human factors when using the vehicle.
In our laboratory of Soso-Kan (Building No.14) underground, we have a electrically-shielded room to 
conduct experiments with biological signal measurement and EEG measurement. In the shielded room, display for stimulus presentation, reacting/operating devices, biomedical signal measuring devices are installed. The biomedical signal devices can acquire EEG, ECG, EMG, respiration, temperature, fingertip pulse wave, skin reflection potential, etc. 
In our laboratory of Building No.24, we have a small 
driving simulator (Forum 8). Based on the purpose of research, we also use this driving simulator and can conduct experiments necessary to design and create a contoured road environment
