Full body haptic display for low-cost racing car driving simulators

Abstract

Motion platforms are advanced systems for driving simulators. Studies showed that these systems imitate the real driving behavior of cars very accurately. In low-cost driving simulators, most installations lack motion platforms and miss to simulate real motion forces. Their focus is on high-quality video and audio, or force feedback on steering wheels. We aim to substitute the real motion forces with low-cost actuators triggering the human extremities to create an extended immersion. By this, the quality of driving simulators without any motion platform can be increased. Our full body haptic display concept for low-cost racing car simulators is based on air cushion and pull mechanisms to support longitudinal and lateral forces addressing the human's mechanoreceptive and proprioceptive senses. The concept is analyzed within a user study covering twenty-two participants.