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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/R008833/1
Title: Multi-Disciplinary Pedestrian-in-the-Loop Simulator
Principal Investigator: Romano, Professor R
Other Investigators:
Ruddle, Professor R Roberts, Professor L Richardson, Professor R
Wilkie, Professor RM Purnell, Professor P Merat, Professor N
Hogg, Professor D
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Arup Group Ltd
Department: Institute for Transport Studies
Organisation: University of Leeds
Scheme: Standard Research
Starts: 01 November 2017 Ends: 30 April 2019 Value (£): 653,011
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Artificial Intelligence Human-Computer Interactions
Image & Vision Computing Robotics & Autonomy
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Transport Systems and Vehicles
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
11 Jul 2017 EPSRC Strategic Equipment Interview Panel July 2017 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Pedestrians represented roughly 24% of road fatalities and 22% of the seriously injured in the UK in 2015 (Department for Transport, Reported Road Casualties Great Britain: 2015, Annual Report). The most commonly recorded factors were: "in accidents where a pedestrian was killed or injured; pedestrian failed to look properly was reported in 59 per cent of accidents. Failed to judge other person's path or speed was the most typical secondary cause." (DfT, 2015)

In this context, the increased use of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) and new urban warning systems that can help monitor and assist pedestrians and their interactions with vehicles has the potential to dramatically reduce road deaths. A major concern, however, is that the AVs and warning systems must be designed to take into account the capabilities and limitations of pedestrians.

This project will develop a new pedestrian laboratory to support safe experimental research in a repeatable fashion in which a variety of variables with respect to AV design, warning system design, and intersection configuration can be studied. The experiments can also look at the impacts of a wide range of human factors including age, vision and mobility.

The pedestrian laboratory (PEDSIM) will consist of a Virtual Reality (VR) simulator that will allow a participant to experience a variety of urban configurations and interact with new vehicles and urban robots. The pedestrian laboratory will track the participant's performance in a variety of tasks to compare the effectiveness of various designs.

What makes the PEDSIM unique in the world is its very high resolution displays combined with its large walkable environment (9 metres by 4 metres) and its integration with driving simulators to test interactions between pedestrians and drivers.

As automated and autonomous vehicles get closer to deployment, research into their design and impact has rapidly increased. There are several studies currently funded by the EPSRC that can take immediate advantage of the new research capabilities of the PEDSIM. These include research to evaluate solutions for cooperative interaction of automated vehicles and urban robots with pedestrians and research that will test various lighting conditions and its impact on visibility, trip hazards, and understanding intentions of other pedestrians and vehicles.

Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Summary
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk