Driving simulator indices directory

Abstract

Directory content: This directory contains 21 .CSV files of 45 driving-based variables (recorded at 125 Hz) for each driver (ID_Number_SimulatorData). Moreover, it includes 21 .MP4 files with videos (recorded at 30 Hz) showing the simulator main central screen (ID_Number_SimulatorScreenVideo, for more details on the simulator configuration see Method and instruments section). Finally, a .CSV file reports the data descriptions (Legend_DataSimulator).Method and instruments: Participants drove a semi-dynamic (a four-degree-of-freedom motion platform) driving simulator (Nervtech™, Ljubljana, Slovenia) recreating a middle-sized electric automatic vehicle. In this simulator, the interaction with the virtual vehicle takes place via devices typically present in an automatic transmission car and therefore the primary controls of the simulator are physical. To control the vehicle, participants used a Skoda Octavia steering wheel (Škoda Auto a.s, Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic), and gas and brake pedals (Sensodrive GmbH, Weßling, Germany) while seated on a Ford-Max seat installed on a rotating base turning swivel platform (Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Míchigan, US). The system also includes Audi Q7 blinkers (Audi, Ingolstadt, Germany) and a dedicated Samsung Galaxy A tablet (Samsung Group, Seoul, South Corea). The latter allows drivers to answer questionnaires or phone messages (if requested). Speedometer and analog tachometer gauges are displayed on a dedicated screen placed behind the steering wheel. A Logitech 5.1 audio surround system (Logitech International S.A., Lausanne, Switzerland) reproduces engine sound, traffic noise, vocal warnings (e.g., the driving modality shift requests), and navigation instructions.Participants were seated, without breaks, for about 180 minutes, either driving or supervising the automation (depending on the driving modality) around the same road scenario without traffic. Participants were instructed to maintain the car in the right lane throughout the experiment (posted speed limit set to 130 km/h). The driving scenario consisted of a six-lane monotonous highway circuit developed using SCANeR studio software (AVSimulation, Boulogne-143 Billancourt, France; version DT 2.5). The road was ∼ 33.5 km long with a 3.5 m wide median. It included guardrails on both sides of the carriageway, surrounded by an empty and monotonous grassy meadow. The driving scenario was displayed via three 49″ screens with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The screens were set into a panoramic arrangement to simulate the horizon of the virtual world (∼130° field of view), and drivers sat about 135 cm away from the main central screen. Finally, the video output of the central simulator screen was recorded through the Open Broadcaster Software [OBS] (OBS project, available at https://obsproject.com/; version 25.0.8).</p