PROTOCOL: DAILY DRIVING ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR STARTUP
Note: Use this protocol when starting up the simulator each day. This is used when the
entire room has not been shut down. If the entire room has been shut down use the
protocol entitled " Protocol: Complete Driving Environment Simulator Startup.”
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Turn on the APC labeled “control loader” and the white surge protector under the
bottom shelf.
Calibrate the car by first turning it’s steering wheel as far as it will turn to the left,
then to the right, and then left 1 and ½ turns to stop at center.
Flip the gray on/off switch on each projectors right side. Then, press and hold
the glowing yellow button on each projector’s bottom side. When the button
starts to flash release. This will turn on the projectors.
Turn on the touch screen monitor inside the car by pressing its power switch.
Turn on the television by pressing its power button.
Turn on the VCR. Change the VCR channel to “Line 1.”
Turn on laptop computer by pressing and holding button switch on the outer-left
side of the computer. It will automatically boot up the text generation program.
Follow directions on screen to enter data.
Turn on the intercom speaker by flipping its power switch to the on position.
Open the project you would like to run by clicking on the folder icon in the
authoring tool. A list of projects should appear. Select the one you want by
clicking on its name once and then clicking on the load button.
Switch to run mode by clicking on the RUN tab. Once there, select your start
point and click the transfer button. After the world finishes transferring, click the
green run button. The simulator should now begin to run.
PROTOCOL: COMPLETE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR STARTUP
Note: Use this protocol when starting up the simulator if the entire room has been shut
down. If starting the simulator for daily use (parts of the simulator are turned on) use
the protocol entitled "Protocol: Daily Driving Environment Simulator Startup.”
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Turn on all APC’s and the surge protector under the bottom shelf. The surge
protectors are the large, heavy, black units that rest on the bottom level of the
rack system. There will be three hill-shaped APCs, three box-shaped APCs, and
one smaller white surge protector.
Turn on rack computers. Turn on each switch on the back of each of the four
computers in the rack system. If the upper-most computer on the rack is not
running (if you cannot feel air circulating in front of the fan) open the small cover
and press the bottom toggle switch.
Calibrate the car by first turning it’s steering wheel as far as it will turn to the left,
then to the right, and then left 1 and ½ turns to stop at center.
Turn on the touch screen monitor inside the car by pressing its power switch.
Turn on the projectors by turning on the switch on the right side of each projector.
Then, press and hold the glowing yellow button on each projector’s bottom side.
When the button starts to flash release. This will turn on the projectors.
Turn on the television by pressing its power button.
Turn on the VCR. Change the VCR channel to “Line 1”.
Turn on laptop computer by pressing and holding button switch on the outer left
side of the computer. It will automatically boot up the text generation program.
Follow directions on screen to enter data.
Turn on the intercom speaker by flipping its power switch to the on position.
Turn on the Dell PC located at the technician’s desk. Log into windows with TTI
as the login and TTI as the password. Once inside Windows, run Hyperdrive by
clicking on the “circular H” icon at the toolbar.
Open the project you would like to run by clicking on the folder icon in the
authoring tool. A list of projects should appear. Select the one you want by
clicking on its name once and then clicking on the load button.
Switch to run mode by clicking on the RUN tab. Once there, select your start
point and click the transfer button. After the world finishes transferring, click the
green run button. The simulator should now begin to run.
PROTOCOL: DAILY DRIVING ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR SHUTDOWN
Note: If you are simply shutting down for the day, please follow this protocol. If you
must shutdown the entire room for some reason use the protocol entitled " Protocol:
Complete Driving Environment Simulator Shutdown". Otherwise, the rack system
should NEVER have its APCs turned off.
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Turn off intercom speaker by turning off the power switch on the side of the
intercom speaker.
Turn off the television and VCR.
Turn off touch screen by using the power switch on the rear of the screen.
Turn off the APC labeled “Control Loader” and the white surge protector under
the bottom shelf. The displays inside the car should now be unlit.
Turn off projectors. Turn off each of the three projectors by pressing and holding
the center, green button the bottom of each projector until the button begins to
flash yellow. Then release the button. When the buttons have stopped flashing
turn off the power switch on the right side of the projector.
PROTOCOL: COMPLETE DRIVING ENVIRONMENT SIMULATOR SHUTDOWN
Note: If you must shutdown the entire room for some reason, please use this protocol.
However, if you are simply shutting down for the day please use the protocol entitled "
Protocol: Daily Driving Environment Simulator Shutdown".
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Turn off intercom speaker by turning off the power switch on the side of the
intercom speaker.
Turn off the television and VCR.
Turn off touch screen by using the power switch on the rear of the screen.
Turn off projectors. Turn off each of the three projectors by pressing and holding
the center, green button the bottom of each projector until the button begins to
flash yellow. Then release the button. When the buttons have stopped flashing
turn off the power switch on the right side of the projector.
Power down the rack system. To do this first go to the Dell PC, under the run tab
in the authoring tool, right click each computer's name on the grid system.
Choose the Shut Down option for each from the menu that appears. Turn off the
power switches on the rear of each of the four computers in the rack system.
Turn off the Dell PC on the desk by first shutting down the authoring tool using
the close button in the upper right of its window. Then shut down Windows.
Once it is safe to do say, turn off the CPU and the monitor.
Turn off the touch screen Dell PC on the rack system by simply shutting down
Windows. When it says that it is safe to do so, turn off the CPU and monitor.
Turn off all of the APCs and the white surge protector under the bottom shelf.
The displays in the car should now be unlit.
PROTOCOL: SIMULATOR SICKNESS
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Mild Simulator Sickness (uneasiness, flush, increased temperature)
o Determine whether participant can continue experiment.
o If no, end scenario
o Turn on room lights
o Escort participant to a chair in the back of DESi Laboratory.
o Allow participant to sit and return to normal
o Indicate to participant that these feelings will pass soon.
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Medium Simulator Sickness (uneasiness, flush, increased temperature,
dizziness, mild nausea)
o Determine whether participant can continue experiment.
o If no, end scenario
o Turn on room lights
o Escort participant to a chair in the back of DESi Laboratory.
o Allow participant to sit and return to normal
o Indicate to participant that these feelings will pass soon.
PROTOCOL: PRE-EXPERIMENT BATTERY
 Escort participant to DESi Prep Room
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Administer Simulator Sickness Pre-Screening Questionnaire
o Participants are NOT eligible for inclusion in any driving environment
simulation experiment if participant indicates they are pregnant or are
potentially pregnant.
o Participants are NOT eligible for inclusion in any driving environment
simulation experiment if participant selects more than two items on
Simulator Sickness Pre-Screening Questionnaire.
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Present Institutional Review Board Human Subjects Consent forms
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Perform Contrast Sensitivity Test
o Participant should stand 10 feet from Contrast Sensitivity Test board.
o With both yes open participant should work on one line at a time (a, b, c,
d, e).
o Participant should start from left circle and work toward the right.
o For each circle indicate by pointing a finger to the left, center, or right
which way the lines appear in each circle.
o The last circle the participant can distinguish is the score for that particular
row. For example, if I can read row a, circle 4 and not read row a, circle 5
then the score recorded is circle 4.
o If the participant indicates they cannot read the next circle ask them to do
so anyhow.
o Record the score for each of the five lines on the Contrast Sensitivity
Evaluation Form.
o Record results in DESi Participant Database
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Perform Snellen Vision Test
o Participant should stand 20 feet from the Snellen Vision Test board
o Participant should have both eyes open.
o Instruct participant to read the entire row of the smallest letters which are
legible. If participant can read more than half the letters on that row they
get credit for the row.
o Record Snellen Vision Test score in DESi Participant Database
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Perform Color Vision Test
o Present participant with Dvorine Color Plates book open to the first test
plate.
o Instruct participants to hold book approximately 15 - 20 inches from face.
o Instruct participants to identify the number resident in each of the first 14
plates.
o Record number of missed/incorrect plates in DESi Participant Database.
SIMULATOR SICKNESS PRE-SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE
This study will require you to drive in a simulator. In the past, some participants have
felt uneasy after participating studies using the simulator. To help identify people who
might be prone to this feeling, we would like to ask the following questions.
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Do you or have you had a history of migraine headaches?  yes  no
If yes, please describe: _______________________________________
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Do you or have you had a history of claustrophobia?
 yes  no
If yes, please describe: _______________________________________
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Do you or have you had a history of motion sickness?
 yes  no
If yes, please describe: _______________________________________
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If you are a female, are you or is there a possibility that you might be pregnant?
 yes  no
If a participant answered Yes to any of the first three questions, indicate to them they
may be at a higher risk for problems resulting from simulator exposure (may trigger
migraines for migraine sufferers, the confined space may be a challenge for
claustrophobics, and motion sickness may be exacerbated. If a female participant
indicated 'yes' to question four indicate to them they may not take part in the current
study.
Additional questions which should be asked include the following questions. Depending
on the answers provided they may or may not be a candidate for simulation
experiments.
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Any health problems which affect driving?
Heart problems or heart attacks?
Lingering effects from stroke, tumor, head trauma, infection?
Suffer from epileptic seizures?
Shortness of breath/chronic med. Therapy for respiratory disorders/asthma?
Any inner ear problems, dizziness, vertigo, or balance problems?
Diabetes for which insulin is required?
Have you been diagnosed with a serious or terminal illness?
Have you ever been diagnosed with a mood problem or a psychiatric disorder?
Are you currently taking any medications?
Do you have trouble climbing a flight of stairs easily?
Have normal (n) or corrected (c) to normal vision (e.g., glasses, contacts)?
PROTOCOL: EXPERIMENT
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Participant is led into DESi Laboratory (lab lights are on) and shown all
equipment.
Participant is instructed to sit in vehicle.
Experimenter indicates to participant they should attach their seatbelt.
Experimenter indicates that everything in the car works and is usable.
Participant reads practice drive instructions.
Experimenter asks participant if they understand their current task and if they
have any questions.
Turn DESi lab lights off.
Participant performs practice drive.
o Immediately after and throughout the practice drive the experimenter
should ask the 'simulator sickness assessment question' which is "On a
scale from 1 to 10, 1 is feeling perfectly normal and 10 is feeling so sick
you could not move out of the way of a truck, how would you rate yourself
at this time?".
Participant reads instructions specific to experiment.
Participant performs experiment.
Experimenter asks participant if they understand their current task and if they
have any questions.
Participant performs experimental drive(s).
PROTOCOL: POST-EXPERIMENT BATTERY
 Escort participant to DESi Prep Room.
 Perform Post-Experiment Simulator Sickness Questionnaire.
 Administer General Information Questionnaire.
 Provide Participant with Experiment Debriefing form(s).
 Thank participant for participating in the experiment.
POST-EXPERIMENT SIMULATOR INDUCED DISCOMFORT QUESTIONNAIRE
There is a small risk associated with driving in the driving environment simulator. The
driver may experience feelings of dizziness and increased body temperature, which are
symptoms of a temporary condition called 'Simulator Induced Discomfort' (SID).
To verify the extent of SID occurrence, we are tracking the severity of any discomfort
felt by those who drive in the driving environment simulator.
Sex:
 male
 female
Age: ______
Are you wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses?
 no
 glasses
 contact lenses
What is your exposure to the driving environment simulator?
 first time
 second time
 more than two times
During this most recent experience in the driving environment simulator did you
experience any feelings of discomfort?
Eye Strain:
 none
 slight
 moderate
 severe
Temperature increase:
 none
 slight
 moderate
 severe
Dizziness:
 none
 unsteady
 slight
 moderate
 severe
Headache:
 none
 lightheaded
 slight
 moderate
 severe
Nausea:
 none
 uneasy
 slight
 moderate
 severe