Perceived immersion and powerfulness of a vehicle driving simulator in different reproduction configurations

Driving simulators enable the assessment of driving behaviour and preferences as well as the development of vehicle features under controlled conditions before their implementation in real vehicles. The perceptual evaluation of the simulator is, therefore, a key aspect of ensuring that the driving experience is convincingly reproduced. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the perceived immersion and powerfulness of a vehicle driving simulator for various reproduction setups. The scenarios were simulated with or without vibration and motion. The noise was played back through either a loudspeaker array or over headphones, whereas the visual scenes were always present on a virtual reality head-mounted display. Three vehicles and three autonomous driving conditions including constant speed and run-up were tested. The simulations were judged by experienced drivers. The results showed an increase in immersion and powerfulness ratings when adding motion and vibration. In contrast, the sound reproduction method did not significantly influence these perceptual attributes. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of the current literature