The development of a high-precision Mixed Reality Formula 1 simulator has been designed for use in a professional environment that will allow users of the simulator to virtually train, as well as compete in real-time races against track pilots, immersing users in as real an environment as possible.
The project aims to develop a high-precision virtual reality simulator designed for use in a gaming environment that will allow users of the simulator to race in real time against racers on the track, immersing users in an environment that is as real as possible, that is, effectively happening in any location in the world, and virtually at the home of any user.
Virtual Reality is now used in various simulator games, be it Motorcycles, Planes, Cars, among others. Currently, the most advanced simulators use Virtual Reality integrated with Motion systems, combining visual perception with physical sensation to reach levels of realism never before imagined, isolating the participant within a virtual/fictional world in the Simulator, like a "Matrix" environment.
The use of virtual reality has many examples in our day to day life, where integration with simulation and highly accurate mathematical models supports the user in decision-making, predicting failure situations, helping in learning, preventing reactions and events, in simulated or testing environments. In car racing, the use of simulators is becoming increasingly important, both in the evolution of drivers, reducing development/engineering costs, and protecting the environment. But there is an added difficulty that it must obey to represent a real added value for the pilots.
This was the challenge that initially led the consortium to focus on the development of this project, to consider technological solutions and simultaneously validate with professionals the relevance of the theme. To put e-game players to compete against track drivers, either in real time (as the race is happening) or with the saved data of the driver - who hasn't dreamed of trying to beat Ayrton Senna's legendary lap in Monaco?
Development of Mixed Reality technology for hand movement interpretation that optimizes human-machine interaction in VR systems.
Obtain in real-time all the dynamic parameters of vehicle behavior on the track and the environment that surrounds it, and use them to perform mathematical calculations that will be sent to a remote driving simulator.
Develop a simulator that can imitate the same weather conditions, the real track conditions, and the same driving inputs, ensuring that the difference in time/lap from reality to simulation is less than 0.1 seconds.
Detailing the technological development component of the proposed Mix VR in this project, the solution involves placing two lenses in front of the headset that allow the pilot's hands to be seen in stereoscopy. This information will be passed to the VR system which will create a "skeleton" of the hand that will be used within the game engine to create virtual hands that represent the pilot's hands in real time.
The system proposed in BREUCA consists of the development of an electronic module fully developed within the scope of the project that is composed of a data acquisition system with computational power and another system integrated within the real-time data transmission device. It should be noted the extreme vibration conditions that the device will be subjected to, so dynamic stabilization connectors and electronics circuits will be used for this purpose.
The system to be developed will not only capture the signals, but will also actively use them to obtain representative performance metrics of the vehicle and its real-time performance. These metrics will be essential to describe the levels of grip and the real track conditions that will be used to match the simulation conditions. Obviously, the real vehicle position data will also be sent to graphically represent in the simulation software. The accuracy of the latter will also be of great importance, as we will define the contact model between vehicles based on them.
The goal of the project is to develop physics and dynamics models programmed modularly in "C" so that they can function in control units of their own development, capable of calculating all physical parameters. To ensure the success of simulation reliability, we have decided to dedicate a very important part of the project resources to the characterization of the real vehicle through the instrumentation of this with the most advanced and precise sensors that we can find on the market today. It will also be necessary to define the models of the circuits that will be digitized using LiDAR digitization technologies (INTEL system - https://www.intelrealsense.com/lidar-camera-l515/). In this way, the model will not only represent the circuit at the visual level, but we will also obtain the three-dimensional profile of the ground that will be used in the physical calculation mechanism to increase the accuracy of the results to be used in the simulator. This is one of the main points of the project, as all the actions and reactions of the pilots will be conditioned by what they receive and feel in the simulator. It is not enough to have a perfect dynamic calculation model if we do not have systems capable of transmitting the results of these calculations to the pilot/user through audiovisual systems, sensation of effort and braking or acceleration dynamics.
This solution is already in demand by the F1 teams and promoters that sponsor this competition worldwide, and in this initial approach it was easily visible the interest that the product will have at the market among the teams and promoters that follow the major F1 events.
The system developed throughout the project can become a reference among gamers and brands of racing games, where the software can then be the subject of technology transfer and it will pass be used in another type of simulation - GT, prototypes, etc.
Founded in May 2008, Sketchpixel - Multimédia & Visual Effects, Lda. operates in the sector of
Graphic Computing and Technological Innovation seeking to create top quality solutions for
Advertising, Communication, Architecture and Games. It also develops solutions for Holography, Reality
Augmented, Mobile Applications, Video Mapping and Interactive Solutions.
Considered one of the benchmarks in the computer graphics sector, it provides services to entities in
Portugal, but also to the USA, France, Angola, Brazil, Spain and Singapore. among the various
customers, highlighting the animation work developed for entities such as the Instituto
Portuguese Industrial Property, EDP, Sonae, Hard Club, among others.
The Polytechnic Institute of Tomar (IPT) is a higher education institution that belongs to the national scientific and technological system. It offers bachelor`s, master`s, postgraduate courses and technological specialization courses. It started its activity in the 80`s and is currently divided into two technology schools (Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Tomar and Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Abrantes) and a management school (Escola Superior de Gestão de To take).
Bubblecode is a start-up created with the aim of becoming a reference in the professional simulation. The company is made up of partners with more than 20 years of activity and know-how linked to the automotive sector in terms of mechanical engineering, with specialization in performance and reliability of automotive performance. Bubblecode is a technical partner of etecmo, a Spanish company specialized in testing and developing tires for racing cars, in the design and production of bespoke electronic and software solutions.
The University of Minho is a public foundation governed by private law, endowed with autonomy
statutory, scientific, pedagogical, cultural, administrative, patrimonial, financial and
disciplinary.
The University´s mission is to generate, disseminate and apply knowledge, based on freedom of
thought and in the plurality of critical exercises, promoting higher education and contributing
for the construction of a model of society based on humanist principles, which has the knowledge, the
creativity and innovation as growth factors, sustainable development, well-being and
solidarity.
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