PARCOURS: A SUMO-Integrated 3D Driving Simulator for Behavioral Studies

In behavioral studies, driving simulators are established means to investigate navigation systems and route choice behavior. Most driving simulators, however, lack mechanisms to simulate realistic traffic demand in large scenarios, thereby limiting scientific validity. With PARCOURS, we integrate a 3D virtual reality driving simulation with SUMO’s realistic traffic demand models. Our integration is performed in a running SUMO simulation: participant-controlled vehicles affect and are affected by SUMO vehicles. PARCOURS translates movement to the associated SUMO cars, which move through LuST, Luxembourg traffic scenario. Our driving simulation renderer is based on the Unity engine, which provides high realism and scalability; vehicles are controlled using gaming wheels, and Oculus Rift headsets can be worn to enhance driver immersion. PARCOURS, thereby, enables more representative measurements of behavioral and other psychological artifacts. We expect such experiments to contribute to more realistic models for route choice strategies, better driving predictions, and improved microscopic traffic simulations.