In 2013, congestion cost the U.S. economy $124 billion, which is expected to reach $180 billion by 2030. Further, the societal cost of traffic crashes in the U.S. exceeds $900 billion each year. Extended reality (XR) and advanced traffic simulation technologies offer potential solutions to these issues by allowing complex roadway systems with mixtures of human and autonomous vehicles to be analyzed. As autonomous vehicle technology becomes more pervasive across the Department of Defense, simulation of such complex multimodal scenarios is critical. InterchangeSE facilitates this multimodal simulation in a risk-free environment. InterchangeSE allows a variety of complex simulated scenarios involving live and virtual participants (e.g., drivers, traffic managers, pedestrians, autonomous vehicles) to be authored and run in varying degrees of immersion.
This paper reports on a summative evaluation of InterchangeSE with both live and autonomous participants across multiple modes and environments. Environments are customizable using images from maps which are translated into 3D visuals via computer vision algorithms. Physical participants interact with each other and the environment using a variety of extended reality displays and input devices (e.g., stationary-mounted bicycle, car steering wheel). Driving parameters, such as position and heading, are synchronized with traffic (i.e., vehicles and pedestrians) and computed by a traffic simulator. The computed traffic is relayed back to participants, who adjust driving responses in real time. Metrics such as traffic violations and routes completed are used to determine a participant’s performance while simulator sickness, presence, workload, usability, and efficacy are used to determine the system’s acceptability and overall user experience. Results show high performance and overall user experience indicating InterchangeSE is a feasible option for simulating traffic management scenarios with a range of virtual and live participants. This represents an important step toward addressing the economic and social costs of traffic congestion and collisions.
Keywords
AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY (AR/VR),AUTONOMY,IMMERSIVE,SIMULATORS
Additional Keywords
traffic, transportation, extended reality