Development of a VR Transportation Simulator
As cities strive to promote sustainable and active transportation, bicycles are becoming an increasingly popular mode of travel. However, cyclists remain among the most vulnerable road users due to unsafe road conditions. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, 2023), bicyclist fatalities in the U.S. have been increasing, with 1,105 reported in 2022, the highest annual total since 1975. These alarming statistics emphasize the urgency of improving cycling safety through informed policy decisions. The development of VR-based bicycle simulators has gained traction in recent years, with various research institutions integrating immersive environments, physiological monitoring, and behavioral tracking into their systems. Studies such as the ORCLSim project at the University of Virginia (Guo et al., 2022) and research by Nazemi et al. (2021) have demonstrated the potential of VR-based platforms in assessing cycling safety. Additionally, Friel et al. (2023) explored how cyclists perceive safety at intersections and roundabouts using a bicycle simulator, highlighting the effectiveness of immersive simulations in transportation research. However, many existing bicycle simulators vary in hardware configurations, software frameworks, and data integration capabilities, making it difficult to establish a standardized platform for transportation research. Moreover, while several studies have used VR bicycle simulators for analyzing cyclist behavior, the process of building a fully functional, data-driven simulator remains an open challenge. This project focuses on the development of a VR-based bicycle simulator that integrates real-time performance and physiological data collection. The primary goal is to design, build, and calibrate a simulator that can be used for future transportation safety research. This includes selecting the appropriate hardware and software components, ensuring compatibility between different system elements, and validating data acquisition methods. A critical aspect of this study is identifying what types of data can be collected and how they can be effectively integrated into the simulator’s framework. By addressing these technical and methodological challenges, this project aims to establish a foundation for future research using VR-based bicycle simulators.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $50,000.00
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552348336
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Project Managers:
Stearns, Amy
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Performing Organizations:
5500 Campanile Dr
San Diego, CA United States 92182 -
Principal Investigators:
Jahangiri, Arash
- Start Date: 20251201
- Expected Completion Date: 20261130
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Bicycle safety; Bicycling; Driving simulators; Intersections; Roundabouts; Virtual reality
- Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01971698
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348336
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Nov 18 2025 3:38PM