In the U.S., drivers over the age of 65 now account for nearly 20 percent of licensed drivers. This number will increase to 25% to nearly 70 million by the year 2030. Some of these older drivers may not be capable of operating their vehicles safely in all conditions. The book investigates the key aspects of driving tasks and their relation to the sensory, perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes. Effects on driving performance, including aging, are described with a view toward improving future vehicle and road design as well as driver training and evaluation. This title: · Presents a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of human physical and mental processes to driving behavior. · Showcases recent review and analysis of driver, vehicle, and road environment design factors. · Discusses fundamentals of driving behavior in vehicle control and guidance, collision avoidance, and hazard perception. · Examines the effects of design issues in vehicles, and road environments. · Highlights specific quantifiable attributes of physical and mental functions related to driving approaches. Written for professionals in diverse fields including ergonomics, health and safety, human factors, transportation engineering, and automotive engineering, this book is the essential guide to driving practices and habits. Its appeal will extend to those involved in vehicle design, roadway environments, driver training and regulatory agencies.

This book covers the problem of fidelity in the design of virtual environments with specific reference to the design of vehicle simulators. The default design goal has been on the physical replication of a given real-world environment and, in the case of vehicles, the specific appearance and function of vehicle components. This book discusses that perceptual, rather than physical, fidelity of a virtual environment, should be the design goal and the principal purpose is to produce human behavior. This book provides the rationale and design guidance to maximize perceptual fidelity in the development of virtual environments, and therefore maximize the costeffectiveness as well.

Advances in computer, visual display, motion and force cueing and other technologies in the past two decades have had a dramatic effect on the design and use of simulation technology in aviation and other fields. The effective use of technology in training, safety investigation, engineering and scientific research requires an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. As the technology has as its primary goal the creation of virtual environments for human users, knowledge of human sensory, perceptual, and cognitive functioning is also needed. This book provides a review and analysis of the relevant engineering and science supporting the design and use of advanced flight simulation technologies. It includes chapters reviewing key simulation areas such as visual scene, motion, and sound simulation and a chapter analyzing the role of recreating the pilot's task environment in the overall effectiveness of simulators. The design and use of flight simulation are addressed in chapters on the effectiveness of flight simulators in training and on the role of physical and psychological fidelity in simulator design. The problems inherent in the ground-based simulation of flight are also reviewed as are promising developments in flight simulation technology and the important role flight simulators play in advanced aviation research. The readership includes: flight simulation engineers and designers, human factors researchers and practitioners, aviation safety investigators, flight training management and instructors, training and instructional technologists, virtual environment design community, and regulatory authorities.

Table of Contents

Contents: Visual scene simulation; Sound effects and communications simulation; Whole body motion; Handling qualities and control loading; Cognitive fidelity and the simulator task environment; Flight simulators in pilot training and evaluation; Simulator fidelity and training effectiveness; Limitations in flight simulator design and use; Advances in flight simulation; Flight simulation in research; Bibliography; Index.

Advances in computer, visual display, motion and force cueing and other technologies in the past two decades have had a dramatic effect on the design and use of simulation technology in aviation and other fields. The effective use of technology in training, safety investigation, engineering and scientific research requires an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. As the technology has as its primary goal the creation of virtual environments for human users, knowledge of human sensory, perceptual, and cognitive functioning is also needed. This book provides a review and analysis of the relevant engineering and science supporting the design and use of advanced flight simulation technologies. It includes chapters reviewing key simulation areas such as visual scene, motion, and sound simulation and a chapter analyzing the role of recreating the pilot's task environment in the overall effectiveness of simulators. The design and use of flight simulation are addressed in chapters on the effectiveness of flight simulators in training and on the role of physical and psychological fidelity in simulator design. The problems inherent in the ground-based simulation of flight are also reviewed as are promising developments in flight simulation technology and the important role flight simulators play in advanced aviation research. The readership includes: flight simulation engineers and designers, human factors researchers and practitioners, aviation safety investigators, flight training management and instructors, training and instructional technologists, virtual environment design community, and regulatory authorities.