Building a driving simulator requires expertise in 3 very different areas. These are: specialized hardware, simulation software and educational curricula or courseware. And then - it requires human factors researchers to validate the resulting program.
In most cases what is important for you is the flexibility of a good curriculum or a set of tools to build your own. However when you make a choice based on that alone, you get locked into using a particular set of hardware from a particular simulator maker. Switching to a different vehicle is not easy on many simulators and driving scenarios are not easily transferred between the different simulation engines.
When you are committing to purchasing a typical driving simulator, it is a big investment and a long term commitment. You need to trust that the simulation maker has the best expertise in driver training, as well as in the hardware and software. In many cases, however, you will find that the highest level of expertise the simulator maker has is in only one of the technology areas - software or hardware, rarely even both.
But how about the driver training itself? Isn't that the purpose of your buying a simulator in the first place?
Drive Square is changing this traditional approach to driving simulation.
The Drive Square Simulation System is a platform technology. While providing cost-effective and ultimately portable hardware that can work with any wheeled vehicle, it also gives you the ability to work with not one, but many simulation engines. Frequently it allows you to keep your own, custom-designed driving scenarios.
If at any point you feel that the software you are using does not allow you to reach your driver training objectives, or is too difficult to use or has simply became obsolete, you can simply upgrade to a different software package at a very nominal cost. Look here for software simulation engines we currently support. We keep adding more software partners to the list. Keep your hardware - it will allow you to switch between different vehicles at any time and do it right in the field.
At a total price of about 1/4 of what you would normally pay for a typical full-cab driving simulator (even before installation costs) the Drive Square Driving Simulators are quickly becoming a choice of many organizations.
Other Technical Pages:
Software Simulation Engines
Technical Support
How to run a safety event
Specific hardware setup
For additional information e-mail: sales@drivesquare.com or call 1-617-762-4013 x.2