BELGIUM: Transurb has launched a compact Nano Simulator for tram driver training which uses mixed reality functionality to replicate the immersive training experience traditionally found in a full-cab simulator.
The company has been developing portable simulators for light rail and tram customers for many years, but by relaunching its Nano Simulator range with mixed reality technology, it says it can offer ‘an unparalleled level of realism’.
The simulator consists of real physical controls, a touchscreen for virtualised instrumentation and a virtual reality headset. When seated and wearing the headset, a trainee driver is fully immersed in a virtual driving cab. They can turn around and see ‘passengers’ in their virtual saloon, or look left and right to watch out for pedestrians and other potential risks.
According to Transurb, this combination of virtual cab and physical controls can replicate real driving conditions.
‘Today’s technology makes it now possible for us to provide such solutions to our partners’, said Nicolas Sanders, Product Manager at Transurb Simulation. ‘We’re really excited to elevate the potential of simulation training to the next level.’
The Mixed Reality Nano Simulator was first showcased at the Sifer trade show in Lille in October last year, and it is now ready for series production.
