Testing Driver's Comfort in Virtual Environments

In this study, the comfort of the tools available to the driver are evaluated through the virtual simulation of a car interior on a TanoramaTM Powerwall. In a series of couple comparisons, 20 participants have been asked to judge both the visibility and the aesthetic pleasantness of a set of hazard buttons, differing in their coloration parameters. The results show that “visibility’ has a direct influence on the perceived comfort, while aesthetic pleasantness has none. The easiness with which different prototypes can be produced and evaluated in an immersive simulation adds another argument to the application of virtual environments to vehicle engineering