Joining SUMO and Unreal Engine to Create a Bespoke 360 Degree Narrow Passage Driving Simulator

Abstract

The use of simulators is widespread in driver behavioural research. The ability of driving simulators to achieve the high levels of behavioural fidelity desired by behavioural researchers is argued to be resultant of the physical fidelity of the simulator. Whilst attempts to maximise the physical fidelity of simulators have often been focused on the hardware capabilities of the simulator, the software of the simulator has been argued to be as important. This is because the software of a simulator controls the intelligence and the heterogeneity of the behaviours of the simulated vehicles, as well as the quality of the graphics of the simulation. Despite the importance of intelligent simulated agents, previous driving simulator studies have tended to simplify the behaviours of simulated vehicles and the scenarios that are presented to participants. This is particularly true of simulator studies investigating the decision-making of drivers at narrow passages, a relatively unregulated but hazardous situation in which two opposing vehicles must negotiate how to safely pass through a road narrowing, in which the interactive nature of the interaction has often been neglected. Following a review of the requirements for a representative narrow passage driving simulator, it is argued that co-simulation, an approach which combines multiple simulator types to create a global simulation, provides the best approach to creating intelligent simulated agents within an immersive environment for narrow passage behavioural research. As such, the development of a simulator for narrow passage behavioural research that combines SUMO and Unreal Engine is described. In particular, the development of a novel narrow passage behavioural model within SUMO that utilises previous behavioural findings is highlighted. To this end, it is argued that this approach facilitates higher levels of behavioural fidelity for narrow passage interaction studies and provides a framework for the investigation of other driver behaviours.