High-fidelity DriveSafety simulation systems and tools are used in a wide range of commercial, academic and medical research applications. Scientists use DriveSafety technology to push the boundaries of automotive design, traffic safety and many disciplines within health and human sciences. Research breakthroughs supported by DriveSafety simulators continue to improve the safety, health care and quality of life for people everywhere.
DriveSafety driving research simulators provide a realistic driving environment, with high-performance Vection™ runtime software, authentic automotive cabs with correct ergonomics and controls, wrap around out-the-window graphics (up to 360 degrees), and inertial onset motion queuing options. DriveSafety offers a range of systems from small desktop simulators like the DS 200, to fully-equipped vehicle simulators, like the DS 600 which provides a much more immersive experience. Subject-matter experts from commercial and academic labs across the globe use RS simulators to investigate a wide range of driving-related issues.
DriveSafety research driving simulators have been used in many applications, including traffic safety, vehicle and roadway design, driver distraction, human-machine interface design, driver assistance and information systems, as well as a variety of psychology, human factors and health sciences topics. Many universities throughout the world have used data gathered from their driving simulator and published articles in peer-reviewed journals.
DriveSafety research driving simulators have several areas of application, including traffic safety, vehicle and roadway design, driver distraction, human interface design, driver assistance and information systems, and a variety of psychology, human factors and health sciences topics. Many universities across the U.S. and Europe have used data gathered from their driving simulator and published articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as publish studies around driving simulator research.
PALO ALTO VA HOSPITAL
Marc Samuels is an Occupational Therapist (OT) and a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist (CDRS) at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California, where he is part of the Driving Rehabilitation Program within the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Department. The program employs two DriveSafety simulators, the DS 600 and the DS 250W with wheelchair option. These simulators help Marc conduct breakthrough research and support physicians with in-depth clinical work.
“We are constantly exploring new ways to uncover findings in the areas of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” says Marc Samuels. “With the simulator, we can introduce triggers that elicit responses from the patient in a safe and controlled environment. We can also train patients on ways to overcome limitations and practice new patterns of responses in a protected environment.”
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Marc sees patients who have been referred by physicians, psychiatrists, orthopedists, optometrists and a host of other medical professionals in the VA Palo Alto Hospital. Through detailed studies working closely with patients with multiple injuries (or polytrauma), Marc has been able to better understand the factors contributing to limitations and then determine appropriate therapeutic interventions. They have even added eye-tracking technology and EKGs to the simulator to monitor behavior as well as physiological responses.
“The DriveSafety simulators allow us to set precise scenarios repeatedly with a wide variety of patients,” adds Marc Samuels. “This repeatability across a broad sample aids in our research and helps limit the uncontrollable variables that exist on the open road or even in a parking lot.”
With the simulators, Marc can tailor fit the scenarios and the triggers to check specific reactions and then zero in on patient specific appropriate training.
For patients suffering from PTSD or TBI, the simulator is a welcome tool because it can allow patients to do something active to assess where they are functionally. This can help establish a clearer roadmap for moving forward in their individualized rehabilitation program. Once therapists know precisely where the patient’s functional challenges are, therapists can then guide them in overcoming those issues and potentially regain their driving competence. What’s more, they can do all of this in a setting that doesn’t put them or someone else at risk.
“I’m continually learning new things in the area of injury recovery,” says Marc. “The DriveSafety simulators are valuable tools in the evaluation and therapeutic intervention process with our veterans.”
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I'm continually learning new things in the area of injury recovery. The DriveSafety simulators are valuable tools in the evaluation and therapeutic intervention process with our veterans.”