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According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) speed-related traffic fatalities accounted for 31% of total fatalities on U.S. roadways in 2003. Traditional speed control methods suffer from significant shortcomings. Adaptation (ISA) systems hold the promise of safer roadways through improving driver compliance with speed limits. This paper describes the development of a new multi-modal speed adaptation system to be tested in the CISR car-driving simulator. The system is capable of adapting to the driver's driving style and provides appropriate warning for over speeding based on the vehicle speed, speed limit, driver individual preferences, and risk factor. A hierarchical manager module determines the warning strategy. The adequate warning strategy is specific to driving situations and individual characteristics. Modes of warnings being considered include VISUAL, and HAPTIC.

An active torque control steering system is developed and implemented in a car simulator. The simulator has a comprehensive and accurate full vehicle dynamics and road/environment models. A simple model of the driving simulator’s vehicle was developed and a PID controller, which uses the vehicle’s yaw angle, and position, was designed to control vehicle steering torque. The controller is then integrated with the driving simulator program, emulating the real world conditions. The developed system was tested in various obstacle avoidance and lane change scenarios in the car simulator, and the vehicle was able to avoid the stationary obstacles autonomously.

This paper investigates the effects of driver airbag inflation characteristics, airbag relative position, airbag to dummy relative velocity, and steering column characteristics using a finite element model of a vehicle, air bag, and Hybrid III 50% male dummy. Simulation is conducted in a static test environment using a validated finite element model. Several static simulation tests are performed where the air bag module's position is mounted in a rigid steering wheel and the vertical and horizontal distances are varied relative to the dummy. Three vertical alignments are used: one position corresponds to the head centered on module, another position corresponds to the neck centered on module, and the third position centers the chest on the module. Horizontal alignments vary from 0 mm to 50 mm to 100 mm. All of these tests are simulated using a typical pre-1998 type inflation curve (mass flow rate of gas entering the bag).