Setia (2015) The use of virtual reality and physical tools in the development and validation of ease of entry and exit in passenger vehicles. Applied Ergonomics, Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32241/1/JLR%20entry%20exit%20paper_ePrints.pdf The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. AbstractEase of entry and exit is important for creating a positive first impression of a car and to increase customer satisfaction. Several methods are used within vehicle development to optimise ease of entry and exit, including CAD reviews, benchmarking and buck trials.However, there is an industry trend towards digital methods to reduce the costs and time associated with developing physical prototypes. This paper reports on a study of entry strategy in three properties (buck, car, CAVE) in which inconsistencies were demonstrated by people entering a vehicle representation in the CAVE. In a second study industry practitioners rated the CAVE as worse than physical methods for identifying entry and exit issues, and having lower perceived validity and reliability. However, the resource issues associated with building bucks were recognised. Recommendations are made for developing the CAVE and for combinations of methods for use at different stages of a vehicle's development. Keywords: entry exit, automotive Highlights: Inconsistent entry strategies were observed in a CAVE virtual environment  The CAVE needs development to support design for ease of entry and exit  Representation of vehicular hard points is necessary for optimising entry and exit  Various combinations of methods are required at different stages of vehicle development 2

A study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of perceptions of a car load space in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). A total of 46 participants rated load space width, height, depth, usability and overall capacity after viewing either a virtual Range Rover Evoque in the CAVE or the real car. Participants were also asked to estimate how many 100mm 3 blocks could fit in the load space in width, depth or height. The only significant difference was in usability, which was rated higher in the CAVE. There was no systematic over-or under-estimation of distances in the virtual environment. The results suggest that virtual environments can be used for car load space design, particularly for estimates of size, but further work is required to be confident that subjective ratings of virtual properties are equivalent to those of real vehicles.

A study was conducted to investigate the accuracy of perceptions of a car load space in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). A total of 46 participants rated load space width, height, depth, usability and overall capacity after viewing either a virtual Range Rover Evoque in the CAVE or the real car. Participants were also asked to estimate how many 100mm 3 blocks could fit in the load space in width, depth or height. The only significant difference was in usability, which was rated higher in the CAVE. There was no systematic over-or under-estimation of distances in the virtual environment. The results suggest that virtual environments can be used for car load space design, particularly for estimates of size, but further work is required to be confident that subjective ratings of virtual properties are equivalent to those of real vehicles.