Development of a Virtual Reality Cycling Simulator

Abstract

This paper presents a cycling simulator implemented using consumer virtual reality hardware and additional off-the-shelf sensors. Challenges like real time motion tracking within the performance requirements of state of the art virtual reality are successfully mastered. Retrieved data from digital motion processors is sent over Bluetooth to a render machine running Unity3D. By processing this data a bicycle is mapped into virtual space. Physically correct behaviour is simulated and high quality assets are added to create a full immersive virtual reality experience. Our whole source code is published under an open source licence on github. Ultimately, the cycling simulator will be used for behavioral studies to measure how different street design configurations and traffic levels impact perceived cycling stress level, cognitive reactions and mobility behaviour.