Using Driver Control Models to Understand and Evaluate Behavioral Validity of Driving Simulators

For a driving simulator to be a valid tool for research, vehicle development, or driver training, it is crucial that it elicits similar driver behavior as the corresponding real vehicle. To assess such behavioral validity, the use of quantitative driver models has been suggested but not previously r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on human-machine systems 2018-12, Vol.48 (6), p.592-603
Main Authors: Markkula, Gustav, Romano, Richard, Jamson, A. Hamish, Pariota, Luigi, Bean, Alex, Boer, Erwin R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analytical models
Computer simulation
Data models
Driver behavior
Drivers
Human performance modeling
Man-machine systems
Mathematical models
Parameters
Simulation
simulator validation
Simulators
Steering
Task analysis
Taxonomy
Training
Validity
Vehicle driving
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Summary:For a driving simulator to be a valid tool for research, vehicle development, or driver training, it is crucial that it elicits similar driver behavior as the corresponding real vehicle. To assess such behavioral validity, the use of quantitative driver models has been suggested but not previously reported. Here, a task-general conceptual driver model is proposed, along with a taxonomy defining levels of behavioral validity. Based on these theoretical concepts, it is argued that driver models without explicit representations of sensory or neuromuscular dynamics should be sufficient for a model-based assessment of driving simulators in most contexts. As a task-specific example, two parsimonious driver steering models of this nature are developed and tested on a dataset of real and simulated driving in near-limit, low-friction circumstances, indicating a clear preference of one model over the other. By means of closed-loop simulations, it is demonstrated that the parameters of this preferred model can generally be accurately estimated from unperturbed driver steering data, using a simple, open-loop fitting method, as long as the vehicle positioning data are reliable. Some recurring patterns between the two studied tasks are noted in how the model's parameters, fitted to human steering, are affected by the presence or absence of steering torques and motion cues in the simulator.
ISSN:2168-2291
2168-2305
DOI:10.1109/THMS.2018.2848998