Project UsusSim

Universal Usability Simulator

Goals

In project "UsusSim" HFC is working on a software for evaluating product prototypes in virtual environments.  A generic simulator architecture is created that allows for studies with test person in changing simulated environments. Thus, the development process is supported from planning phase to design through to the interpretation of driving simulator studies and other applications in the transport sector.

For example, a vehicles cockpit could be displayed in connection with typical backgrounds and situations, which then could be used to assess the test person’s behavior, with the option to log physiological or gaze-related data at the same time.

Applications

For years HFC has been using simulators for evaluation studies with test persons from the automotive, transport and aeronautics sector. Based on the experience gained in working with software-based simulators, a set of universally applicable core modules will be developed in the course of the project UsusSim, which can hereafter be supplemented by job-oriented add-ons. These add-ons could come in the form of additional functionality (like the implementation of specific sensors that assess the status of the driver), or as the addition of special driving scenarios, for example driving in the desert or on ice.

Thanks to the modular structure and the option to easily combine specific modules according to the building block concept, a high reusability is achieved, significantly reducing cost and expenditure of time needed for creating custom-built simulations.

Advantages

An important factor of the project is the cost-cutting in the field of generating 3D geometries for the virtual scenarios.  To that day, virtual 3D scenarios with the appropriate quality could only be created manually´, rendering the endeavor a quite expensive one.  This is why the Institute of Computer Science of the University of Bonn will develop and contribute methods for the automatic generation of 3D geometries.

The effectiveness of this approach will be tested prototypically with a specially designed simulator. The amount of work that has to be invested into the implementation poses as a realistic measure for the success of the project.