We are creating some awesome events for you. Kindly bear with us.

Deakin’s mixed reality simulator for safer journey

It is almost inevitable that as you age, your sense of sight and sound aren’t quite what they used to be. Hence, for older drivers, the newly developed mixed reality driving simulator to earn back a sense of agency as well as feedback on how they are performing.

The first-of-its kind technology is developed by engineers from Deakin University for aged care provider Maclean Care. The team received AUD 726, 000 in grants from the Federal Government’s Dementia and Aged Care Services Fund.

How the Simulator Works

Hector is the first older driver simulator. Lead designer Associate Professor Ben Horan, Associate Head of School (Research) in Deakin’s School of Engineering, said Hector could be the start of a fleet of adapted vehicles used in driver testing.

He said, “Access to this simulator will give older drivers an idea of how they’re performing over time, so it’s great for people who are keen to maintain their independence but also keep an eye on how they’re tracking.

“It gives users a simulated driving experience and afterwards provides a read out of their reaction time and some important health metrics like heart rate.

“You’re actually sitting in a car, in this case a Holden Captiva. We cut that in half and then integrated all the technology inside it. So you’ve got the feel of the seats, your seatbelt, pedals, indicators, and we even put feedback into steering wheel to give a real sensation of driving in different terrain.

“Then when you put the headset on you’re driving around the local neighbourhood and you see local landmarks.

“Of course this doesn’t replace the need for an older driver to see their regular GP for accurate testing, but it can be a fun, easy and accessible way to check in initially.”

To develop Hector, a group of 50 older people were involved in the process. They gave feedback on issues of accessibility, such as car seat height so that getting in and out was easy. Furthermore, the engineers had to ensure that the technology was something older people were comfortable with. The technology needed to be something relatively familiar and not too intimidating.

According Associate Professor Horan, the feedback has been fantastic and people are optimistic.

Mixed Reality for Good

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO said the project demonstrated perfectly how the University’s engineers were forging new ground in the burgeoning field of mixed or extended reality to benefit the community.

She said, “Deakin is committed to supporting the communities we serve and I am delighted to see that this particular project, developed with the aim of helping inform older drivers in decisions relating to their license, is taking advantage of the very latest technology so that we can just do that.”

“It is also a good example of just what is possible when you match research and development expertise with government support to provide solutions to industry and is not surprising that is already getting attention from around the world.

“The technology provides a more realistic experience than your typical simulator or VR headset, recognising that to immerse someone in a task there are many subtle things that need to be incorporated outside of just what can be seen.

“This is work that Deakin is continuing to advance through the development of extended reality systems for education, training and upskilling, which ultimately help make life safer for everyone living and working in the communities we serve.”

The Road Ahead

Associate Professor Horan said the research collaborators hoped that road authorities and licensing bodies might also be interested in the technology for learner driving and testing.

“For example, it could be an effective update of the current hazards testing used when teenagers sit for their learner’s permit,” Associate Professor Horan said.

“It could also be used to help learners experience dangerous situations that they might not necessarily come across in the course of normal practice.”

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Send this to a friend