simulation@iowa
Internationally Recognized Areas of Computer Simulation Excellence
The University of Iowa has a long history of creating and developing a spectrum of computer simulation on its Iowa City campus. Through a fertile environment of interdisciplinary research collaboration, advanced computer simulation associated with human factors, digital humans, vehicle and road dynamics, operator performance, and patient response thrives at the University.
You will find researchers from Engineering, Computer Science, Medicine, Dentistry, and Public Policy sharing their expertise in a multitude of challenging projects – focused on solving complex issues associated with how humans interact with machines and technology. We invite you to examine these key research areas, determine how they might assist in approaching your specific problem or issue, and contact us for more in-depth dialogue.
Cognitive
Systems Laboratory
John D. Lee, director
Examines how people adapt to technological innovation. To extend human capabilities, the lab develops innovative design concepts, broadens the understanding of human performance, and builds computational models. By understanding how technology can mediate attention to the system being controlled, the lab hopes to create display and control systems that enable people to work effectively with technological innovations.
Dentistry
Simulation Clinic
Yvonne Chalkley, director
Helps first- and second-year students make a smoother transition from the preclinical to clinical setting. It allows seniors to refine their skills for clinical board/licensure exams and it provides a more realistic environment for practitioners taking continuing education courses. Eighty operatories are clustered in modules that can accommodate right- and left-handed students. Each operatory has a mannequin with a realistic tooth model and jaws that function very much like a human's.
Virtual
Soldier Research
Karim Abdel-Malek, director
Designed to reduce the cost of prototyping military equipment through the use of human modeling and simulation technology. A team of researchers are working to create "autonomous digital humans" that can answer how humans would interact with proposed vehicles and weapons systems. The digital humans are programmed to provide the feedback that a real human would provide in a simulated world. They are able to respond to inputs "on the fly," answering such questions as the joint angles that would be required for a human operator to reach a switch, and how long the human would be comfortable doing a particular task.
Hank
Driving Simulator
James Cremer, co-leader
Joseph Kearney, co-leader
Designed to run on a wide-range of platforms, from modest workstations to high-end multi-processor computers with state-of-the-art image generators. Special emphasis is placed on the development of technology supporting applications that use interactive simulation to study human driving behavior. Hank contains a powerful and flexible mechanism for programming scenarios and the behaviors of vehicles, pedestrians, and other entities through Hierarchical Concurrent State Machines (HCSM).
National
Advanced Driving Simulator
Omar Ahmad, senior team leader
Tim Brown, team leader-cognitive systems
World’s most sophisticated simulator for conducting research to achieve fundamental improvements in highway safety and transportation efficiency, and to enhance equipment product development effectiveness without the need to construct expensive prototypes. Experts collaborate on vehicle dynamics and simulation, simulator technology and virtual reality environment, and human factors.
Operator
Performance Laboratory
Thomas Schnell, director
Conducts research in a number of areas of surface and air transportation. Aviation research includes synthetic vision, flight simulation, pilot eye movements, pilot and crew performance and workload, situational awareness and display optimization research.
Critical Patient Simulation
Paul A. Leonard,
MD, PhD, director
Ann Willemsen-Dunlap, PhD, CRNA, co-director
Johann Cutkomp, Operations Manager
The Department of Anesthesia uses simulation in a controlled environment chiefly as a tool for experiential practice of a) unusual, difficult clinical situations and b) coordination of teams in emergencies. Life-size adult and infant mannequins model normal and abnormal physiology, drug responses, and some anatomic changes. A third use of simulation, “on location” in the work environment, is being piloted to test workplace safety systems.
Simulator
for Interdisciplinary Research in Ergonomics and Neuroscience
(SIREN)
Matthew Rizzo, director
An immersive real-time virtual environment for assessing at-risk drivers in a medical setting. Subjects drive on a simulated rural 2-lane highway with interactive traffic, resembling a drive on the roads surrounding Iowa. SIREN studies driving performance safety errors of motorists with medical disorders that can impair cognitive abilities that are crucial to the driving task.