SILAB – A Task Oriented Driving Simulation

The core element of traditional simulation is a fixed database which is overlaid by a traffic model. Despite obvious efficiency of simulator use, shortcomings must be seen in (1) imperfect reality and control, (2) fixed sequencing of scenarios which cannot be altered during simulation, and (3) missing of objective evaluation of drivers’ performance. Therefore, at the University of Wuerzburg a new concept for driving simulation was developed basing upon scenario elements which arbitrarily can be linked together during runtime. The scenario elements are entities consisting of road environment, traffic configuration and task criteria. Combining these elements during runtime enables the user to adapt the temporal sequence of scenarios to any other variable (e.g. learning status of a trainee, state of the driver). Together with a newly developed online assessment module, this architecture allows adaptive training as well as precisely tailored simulation rides for research.