Driver Training Simulator for Diverse Interactive & Linde.
Delta Kinetic were delighted to have partnered with Diverse Interactive Experience Agency to provide the motion simulator for their virtual driver training solution for Linde Group.
Linde, a multinational chemicals company, serve customers in healthcare, manufacturing, and aerospace. Logistics is core to their business, and is underpinned by a broad network of haulier and road freight services. The business was looking to add efficiency and effectiveness to its fleet driver training programme. The existing training required drivers to take a day away from their work and feedback showed that it was not engaging and didn’t leave a lasting impression on trainees.
Linde were looking for an innovative training approach that would be interactive and memorable, yet cost effective and scalable.
High definition 360 video capture and telemetry
In order to produce a virtual training solution as close to reality as possible, Diverse Interactive used six InstaPro 360 cameras to capture the detail of the driver training route. At the same time, motion data was collected to create a simulated experience that accurately represents what the driver feels when driving in real life. This included accelerometer data from the seat, so that corners, accelerating and decelerating felt realistic, as well as data from fixed points in the cab, so that body roll could be accurately translated into virtual body roll in the motion seat.
Motion Simulator and housing
Once the video and telemetry data were captured, it was down to Delta Kinetic to translate it into a realistic physical experience. Delta Kinetic’s 3-DoF high performance motion platform provided the fine resolution, along with the speed, range and force parameters necessary to replicate the detail and accuracy captured in the digital training experience. The platform’s integrated Actuate Motion software links it to the training experience so that what the driver sees and feels is accurate and concurrent. With the Vive VR headset, the driver has as realistic a training experience as is possible.
The fully adjustable DAF seat, steering wheel and pedals were then installed onto the simulator deck to provide a cabin environment which represented the driver’s essential controls.
The brief for the housing was to allow a trainer screen and computer to be integrated at the back and for the whole unit to be easily portable in a travel case so that it could be used as a mobile training unit at multiple Linde locations. This would mean the training coming to the trainees instead of the other way round, thereby cutting down on driver down time.
The result is an elegant, fully integrated yet compact training solution.
Training assessment
Diverse Interactive’s training experience focuses on driver safety and allows the driver to be assessed on their ability to spot hazards and when necessary, react to them. Eye-tracking plays an integral part, allowing the trainee and the trainer to review the session and assess where the driver has been looking throughout the test. The trainer themself has a full view of what the driver is seeing through the VR headset, along with a fully tailored and easy to use trainer’s app, which breaks down all of the complex data in a way that is digestible and actionable.
The Motion Simulator ready for transportation in its carriage case
