Driver Training Simulator

CKAS Full Driving Simulators - Driver Safety Training Simulation

In Australia, as with most countries around the world, driver training for domestic and commercial vehicles is usually limited to practice in real vehicles under real conditions with other real drivers. This poses a threat for two reasons. Firstly, it usually means that there are not too many hours of driver training due to the logistic difficulties, and secondly, it means that the training is done "on the job" which creates a safety risk for other motorists. Clearly, this presents an opportunity to further increase driver training in the community through the use of synthetic simulator devices similar to other industries.

CKAS develops full driver training simulators, for education of domestic drivers or task specific drivers (eg, Truck Driver, Bus Driver, Mining Equipment Driver, etc). These devices are the equivalent in standard to Commercial Flight Simulators, but in the Driver Training Industry. The design intent of these simulators is to teach better driver awareness and safety skills, in industries which currently make very little use of simulation technology. CKAS Full Driving Simulators (FDS) should not be confused with typical "road rule training" simulators, which would typically create a very unrealistic driver environment. By contrast, the CKAS FDS units are specifically designed to train and assess people in driving skills and awareness - this is a very unique offering.

The types of simulators which CKAS Mechatronics can create include (but are not limited to):

Domestic Vehicle Simulator - to recreate with high accuracy real everyday driving conditions in a safe environment
Commercial Vehicle Simulator - for Trucks, Buses, Trains and other road and rail transport vehicle, to Train and Check drivers
Heavy Earth Moving (Mining) Vehicle Simulators - for any mining industry vehicle simulators

Some of the key features the CKAS Full Driving Simulators (FDS) can be designed to include are:

Full 6DOF Motion System / Platform and associated washout algorithms
Genuine vehicle fully enclosed in surrounding cabin for unparalleled realism
360° -full-wrap-around- visual system for the highest immersion possible with the complete view of the driver covered, including all mirrors, allowing for head shifting exactly as in real driving
Genuine Transmission System - the real automotive transmission can be driven by a servo motor to replicate as closely as possible the real forces and loads a transmission experiences during regular driving.
Genuine Clutch System - the real clutch can be attached to the transmission mentioned above to replicate as closely as possible the real forces and loads the clutch pedal provides to the driver during regular driving.
Genuine Brake System - the real brake pedal can be connected to the genuine calliper and disc system in order to replicate as closely as possible the real forces and loads the brake pedal provides to the driver during regular driving.
Genuine Steering System - the real steering system including power steering can be used and a servo loader can be attached to the steering box to recreate realistic driving forces and loads.
Authentic General Controls and User Interface - the real switches and general controls (eg. Indicators, wipers, etc) of the vehicle cabin can be interfaced with the simulation computer through the controller interface
Instructor Panel - the interface for the instructor who is training the driver

A driving simulator consisting of the above features can be designed and built to specific customer needs, creating the MOST realistic driving environment for true positive learning. An example of a complete CKAS Full Driving Simulator is shown above.

For more answers and information please read our Technical Section and FAQ, or alternatively, contact us with your query.