New driving simulator from Toyota, Oculus, bringing VR driving simulator for teens

At the Detroit Auto show, Toyota and Oculus launched its new TeenDrive365 distracted driving simulator with Oculus Rift. They are teaming up to make driving safer for teens. 

TeenDrive365’s simulator will put the wheel in teens’ hands and challenge drivers to properly use the pedals in a 3D environment. The joint attempt to bring a Toyota- branded driving simulator for Toyota’s TeenDrive365 program to the VR headset, which puts those learning to drive behind the wheel of a real car (stationary, of course), but uses VR to drown them in a driving environment. The ambition is for the teens to be more comfortable behind the wheel when they do venture onto the real road. TeenDrive365’s simulator challenges them to use the pedals and the wheel properly, while emitting realistic sounds of a busy city street in a 3D environment.

Oculus Rift also provides an approximately 100° field of view, stretching the virtual world beyond your peripheral vision.

“Oculus Rift provides a virtual reality driving experience that mirrors real life behind the wheel, giving us a powerful, one-of-a-kind way to show parents and teens how everyday distractions can affect their ability to drive safely,” said Marjorie Schussel, Corporate Marketing Director for Toyota. “This is the most innovative example of how we’re helping teens and parents become safer drivers together through our ongoing Toyota TeenDrive365 initiative.”

TeenDrive365 will also use RealSpace 3D Audio, which adds extent to sounds you might hear (sounds behind you sound like they’re behind you, not just faint).

Toyota says the partnership is “the first time the virtual reality technology is being used to educate the public – teens and parents alike – about the dangers of distracted driving”. This aims to educate teens and parents about driving safety. Virtual Reality is a smart method for educating teens about the dangers of driving, but accessibility is a concern.

The focus on parents as role models is based on research from a national study from Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) and UMTRI. The study found a significant correlation between how parents and their teens drive, suggesting that parents are the biggest influence on how a teen will behave behind the wheel.

Since the Toyota TeenDrive365’s launch in November 2013, millions of people have engaged with its online and in-person resources. More than 10,000 have experienced the first iteration of its driving simulator, with nearly 80 percent saying they would reduce distractions because of the experience. 

The simulator will be available free of charge to the public at auto shows across the country. For a full list of dates, visit www.Events.TeenDrive365.com.