Federated multimodal simulators in transportation
Abstract
[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] As transportation involves a multiplicity of modes, there is a need to explore multimodal simulators in transportation and the integration of multimodal simulators to enable the reproduction of a controlled, complex and interactive environment. The dissertation investigated the approach of federated multimodal simulators and their applications in transportation. First, the development of multimodal simulators, including driving, bicycling, walking, and wheeling, was presented. With the use of the driving simulator, design factors in J-turn interchange and effectiveness of automatic flagger assistive devices (AFADs) were evaluated. The results of simulator studies showed that the acceleration-deceleration configuration performed better than the deceleration-only configuration in J-turn and AFADs were able to improve work zone and worker safety. Second, the development of federated simulators with the use of the high-level architecture (HLA) framework was documented. By using federated simulators, the effectiveness of autonomous vehicle (AV) external designs for AV-pedestrian communications and a wayfinding mobile application were investigated. The results showed that the pedestrian preferred the word sign on the front of the vehicle and the mobile wayfinding application reduced wheelchair users' reliance on wayfinding signs and their travel anxiety. The studies filled gaps in existing knowledge and were used to help practitioners continue to improve designs or discover better solutions in transportation. Overall, the use of federated simulator studies demonstrated the many benefits such as safety of participants, analysis of human behavior, capability to perform sensitivity analysis, investigation of interactions of multiple road users, and evaluation of experimental technology.
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
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