Towards identifying the roll motion parameters of a motorcycle simulator

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying the roll motion parameters of a motorcycle simulator prototype. Experienced motorcyclists tuned the angular physical movement of the mock-up and that of the visual scene to achieve an optimal riding experience during curves. The participants exceeded the rolling angles that would be required in real-world riding, while avoiding leaning the mock-up beyond 10°. In addition, they were more influenced by the speed of the virtual motorcycle than by road curvature, especially in a wide field of view. Heterogeneity was found in the roll applied to the visual scene. The overall patterns suggest that at least when washout is not applied to remove the side forces that in real-world riding are compensated by a centrifugal force, greater roll of the visual at the expense of the mock-up is mandatory to avoid performance biases that might be enhanced due to fear of falling off the simulator. Future roll motion models must take into consideration factors such as riding postures, which might not only influence the forces operating on the rider-motorcycle system, but also how motorcyclists perceive the visual world.

Rider in the Loop Dynamic Motorcycle Simulator: An Instrumentation Strategy Focused on Human Acceptability

“…). These DOFs were selected with the help of psycho-physiological studies regarding motorcycleriding simulators in general [23] and ours in particular [24][25][26];…”

“…The solution used in our simulator was to limit the chassis roll angle and add a visual roll angle [26,34] by tilting the image in the opposite direction of the turn, to give the rider the sensation of getting closer to the ground [35]. The visual gains can be configured depending on the needs of the experiment.…”

“…The screens are arranged in the form of a pseudo-circle with the rider's head as the center, providing a 130 • field of view (1920 × 1080 pixels for each display, approximately 44 PPD); • A 5.1 sound system; • A motorized steering column (called dynamic body n • 1 in the following sections) with the following two DOFs: force feedback handlebars and a pseudo-haptic feature that provides the rider with longitudinal acceleration/braking cues; • A complete motorcycle chassis, supported by a dynamic platform (dynamic body n • 2) with the following three DOFs: roll (±12 • ), pitch (±8 • ), and yaw (±6 •). These DOFs were selected with the help of psycho-physiological studies regarding motorcycleriding simulators in general[23] and ours in particular[24][25][26];•The original motorcycle command organs, including left and right-hand control pods, twist-grip accelerator, clutch lever, brake lever and pedal, and gearbox selector.…”

Design and hardware selection for a bicycle simulator

“…However, it should be noticed that the absence of vestibular input might have a negative effect on rider behavior in certain tasks, such as braking and lateral trajectory control. For this reason, the usage of such a simulator to study these tasks may be inappropriate (Shahar et al, 2014). The implementation of the equations of motions of the Carvallo-Whipple bicycle model used to drive the haptic steering device and Unity ® environment will be detailed in future publications.…”

“…A number of recent studies have used recorded data of riders during naturalistic driving (Kovascova et al, 2016) and (Moore et al, 2011). However, behavioral studies for other vehicles often use simulators (Steen et al, 2011) as they afford more reproducible experiments over a range of riders in a safe environment. There have been a number of groups that have developed bicycle simulators for a variety of research goals.…”