Meet the researcher: A shared vision for immersive training

What prompted your visit Deakin Institute for Intelligent Systems? 

Over past years we have had more and more interactions with the Deakin Institute for Intelligent Systems, such as the exchange of a senior scientist and a PhD student, who eventually went on to work at both the Institute and DLR. This collaboration led to several joint publications, and we would like to continue with that work. There are not many researchers working on motion cueing algorithms and I am grateful to be able sharing thoughts on these and other interesting fields with the colleagues here at Deakin. 

What aspects of Deakin’s research or capabilities were you most interested in exploring? 

Haptical feedback and driver’s/pilot’s cognitive load research are very promising emerging fields to improve safety. Also, I was able to try out the motion simulator and centrifuge, which were highlights of my stay here. 

Are there specific projects or research areas where you see strong potential for collaboration with Deakin? 

At DLR we are currently focusing more on the mechanical system of the motion simulator – in other words, how do we have to apply controls to it to get the intended motion. We have validated models of our simulators that can be used to train AI algorithms that then can be used on the real hardware. At Deakin the focus is on the driver and pilot – how using a simulator can improve the safety or optimise training. Both is needed to achieve an exceptional simulation experience. 

What are the next steps following this visit? 

During this visit, we were working on applications for a DAAD grant and other competitive European grants. There is still work to do until submission. Furthermore, we hope to share two more PhD candidates continuing the work of a former PhD candidate that was under shared supervision of Deakin and DLR in the domain of motion cueing algorithms combined with reinforcement learning and haptic feedback used in simulators.