Connected Simulator Set-up

• A connected simulator enables an experimental set-up where two or more road users can interactively drive/walk in the same road scenario, simultaneously. In the connected simulator set-up present in IIT Roorkee, a pedestrian simulator, a two-wheeler simulator, and a four-wheeler and a bicycle simulator are connected to each other. The connected simulators can be operated individually or in a synchronised manner, making it one of its kind facilities in India. The connected simulator set-up is used for critically understanding the road user behaviour for enhancing road safety. Due to the lack of adequate simulation facilities, most of the existing studies pertaining to road users are based on either video-graphic or survey-based data, especially in India. Though broader knowledge on driving/walking behaviour can be gained through such observational arrangements, these set-ups lack in providing minute performance and gaze data which defines the intentions behind road users’ decisions and actions. Experimental studies conducted using simulators can provide detailed data for understanding road user’ intentions under each movement type and their decision capabilities against various traffic events without compromising their safety. However, the focus of the individual simulators remains on driving performance of the subject in different environments where the interacting entities remain pre-programed as per the experimental design. But, in the real-world, two or more individuals, who are interacting, influence each other’s decision-making and driving/walking behaviour. Therefore, the present connected simulator set-up overcome these limitations and provide the most favorable mean to study road user behaviour as well as testing the solutions to transportation problems in a comprehensive manner before implementing them in the field.