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ADAS Simulation Software and Autonomous Vehicle Research

Interested in RTI research solutions?

Talk to one of our experts about simulation research.
Talk to an Expert

Interested in RTI research solutions?

Talk to one of our experts about simulation research.
Talk to an Expert

How will People Share the Road and the Wheel with Autonomous Vehicles?

Today’s most exciting research involves autonomous vehicles (AV) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The big simulation challenges in vehicle automation aren’t just modeling sensor packs and testing lidar vs. camera vs. radar. Today’s biggest simulation challenges come with trying to capture what’s happening in the driver’s seat. Emerging technologies are rapidly transforming the definition of driving, and the biggest unknown is:

How will human drivers react to and interact with new systems?

The real-world effect of increasing ADAS on the roads is a central concern for regulators and citizens alike. Human factors research plays a crucial role in vehicle safety in this advanced era of autonomous vehicles.

From the start, Realtime Technologies has been dedicated to capturing the human experience behind the wheel. We draw on decades of experience in simulation hardware, multibody vehicle dynamics, and graphical human factors simulation and modeling across many fields, including military simulation, first responder training, vehicle operator training, research tools development, and more.

Our research driving simulators don’t just accurately reproduce vehicle dynamics and interfaces: they place people in the most realistic possible version of the world drivers will experience, and capture every interaction between driver, vehicle, autonomous driving systems, and the simulated world.

SimCreator: Understand How Drivers Communicate with ADAS and Autonomous Systems

Realtime Technologies (RTI) is proud to meet the increasing demand for human factors research tools among academics, engineers, and OEMs. Our goal is to simplify and accelerate your human factors research. This starts with a suite of tools that support intuitive and efficient “drag-and-drop” driving scenario development for research experiments. That simulation software seamlessly integrates with our full range of networkable, custom hardware research simulators, as well as your third-party hardware and software tools (including those that require bidirectional data transfer).

Throughout each experiment, your RTI solution can capture comprehensive, high-quality, actionable information on driver and vehicle behaviors, including data from many third-party tools, ready to load to your preferred data analytics and visualization tools.

With the latest version of SimCreator (our real-time simulation and modeling system) researchers can quickly build new projects—including virtual testing of transfer of control strategies—without sacrificing accuracy, customizability, or the ability to integrate third-party hardware and software. SimCreator natively supports SimObserver Pro, RTI’s stand-alone after-action review system. SimObserver captures video, audio, and data from multiple sources, integrating easily with other applications and environments (including simulators, third-party biometrics tracking, prototyping systems, usability labs, and virtual environments) while syncing and timestamping all of the collected data, to streamline later analysis.

RTI’s combination of advanced software and custom hardware creates a comprehensive, multi-sensory user experience for the simulated vehicle’s occupant, while giving researchers access to the essential information they need about the interaction of vehicle performance, AV and ADAS systems, and the effect all of this has on driver safety and the driving experience.

Simulation Solutions for Testing Human Interaction with Automated Driving Systems

RTI’s human factors research platform is already helping researchers safely explore the intricacies of real-world driving with ADAS and AV systems—especially in critical situations where systems fail or behave unexpectedly.

The modules in RTI’s Autonomy Package complement each other to cover the entire spectrum of assistive driving technologies, including both features already commonly available in new vehicles and new levels of self-driving still in development. These modules seamlessly integrate with all elements of SimCreator, including third-party components or applications, allowing you to evaluate human interaction with autonomous vehicles under widely varying operating conditions and in a wide range of driving environments. This helps shorten the design cycle, as you can quickly test and assess control strategies with no need for hardware prototypes or a physical driving course.

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SimADAS and SimDriver: Explore Human Factors in Autonomous Driving and ADAS Simulation

SimADAS models advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features that are already available in vehicles on the road today. With SimADAS, researchers can test and validate SAE levels 1 and 2 autonomous systems.

SimDriver simulates the driver experience of using SAE Level 3 and Level 4 systems. As a transfer-of-vehicle-control solution, it simplifies the evaluation of human interaction with automated vehicles in any driving environment. It’s especially valuable for safely exploring driver distraction and vigilance in autonomous driving scenarios, and considerably more cost-effective (and less risky) than creating and operating prototype vehicles.

Do you need deeper insights into the human and behavioral factors at play when bringing autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems to the roads? Whether you’re part of an academic team at a university, working on an engineering team in the automotive sector, or launching a Silicon Valley start-up, Realtime Technologies can provide you with the world-class simulation capability and technical support you need.

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Industry Partners for Human Factors Research

For more than 25 years, Realtime Technologies has specialized in bringing together multibody vehicle dynamics, detailed vehicle simulation, and human factors research. We offer simulation software applications, consulting services, custom engineering solutions, and software and hardware development.

By maintaining a large in-house team of simulation professionals across many training and research markets, we are uniquely positioned to offer a simulation platform that models the entire driving experience and gives you the tools you need to capture essential data about that experience. Our teams are dedicated to hard work, innovation, and bridging state-of-the-art technology with the art of possibility, offering unmatched customer support to troubleshoot, diagnose, and answer your questions.

We don’t just sell equipment; we partner with researchers, engineers, and institutions to develop their ideal toolset for understanding how driver behavior interacts with roadway and vehicle design. We invest time in understanding your needs, then work closely with your team to develop and deliver the appropriate solution. The consultants and engineers at RTI have the tools, knowledge, and enthusiasm to help support and maintain your automotive and human factors research program and keep you on the cutting edge of the industry. Contact us today to find out how we can help support your research program.

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Related Software: SimDriver

SimDriver is an autonomous vehicle control solution that allows for the evaluation of human interaction with automated vehicles in both city and freeway driving environments. SimDriver enhances the understanding of this relationship which will be key to ensuring safe autonomous vehicles.

SimDriver