Many simulation technologies are currently available. They are often used for training, especially in the aeronautics, automotive, and medical industries. In this context, the Sekonride project aims to develop a recreational vehicle simulator that could be used in BRP dealerships to enable potential customers to test vehicles before purchasing them.
This master’s thesis aims to develop the simulator’s ability to reproduce real recreational vehicle rides. The existing virtual reality quadricopter simulator prototype AeroStraße developed at the University of Sherbrooke is used as the starting point for this work and had to be adapted to this study’s objectives.
Simulator development is broken down into three specific objectives and the design science methodology is used. The first specific objective is to design a device that captures real rides on three types of recreational vehicles: snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and all-terrain vehicles. To this end, a device was developed to record both 360° images of the course and changes in the vehicle’s movement. It includes a GoPro Max 360° sports camera and an inertial measurement unit that is attached to the vehicle’s frame during the ride. The second specific objective is to design a signal processing approach to convert the inertial measurement unit’s raw data into linear displacements for the simulator’s actuators. Finally, the last specific objective is to design a solution to control the simulator when simulating a ride. To do so, a set of programs were developed that reproduce both the images of the ride in a virtual reality headset and the previously recorded movements through the simulator’s actuators. For this specific objective, the work focused on synchronizing the reproduction of images and movements. The scientific tools that were relevant to each specific objective are highlighted in a literature review.
Once the main objective was reached, the simulator’s behavior was analyzed to evaluate the differences between the movements recorded during real rides and those reproduction by the simulator. A series of test were also conducted to validate the simulator’s immersiveness. These analyses validated the Sekonride prototype, which faithfully reproduces real rides on recreational vehicles.
Finally, some of the choices and assumptions made during this study are discussed, especially in terms of sensor accuracy and low-pass filter dimensioning. The flaws and limitations of this study are discussed, such as the user being unable to control the simulation and the simulator’s operating frequency being fixed at 30Hz. Lastly, opportunities for further development and improvement are discussed for the second phase of the Sekonride project, which consists in making the simulation user controllable.
| Date | 26 Jul 2022 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Louis Rivest (Supervisor) & Guy Gauthier (Co-supervisor) |
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Verdeil, V. (Author),
Rivest (Supervisor) & Gauthier (Co-supervisor),
26 Jul 2022Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering