Maneuvering big off-road haul trucks is not an easy task, mainly due to their limited field of vision. This operation can be easier with the using of driving assistance systems. But one of the challenges to develop a driving assistance product is how to test it. Using a real vehicle at all stages of testing can be very expensive, dangerous and almost impraticable. So instead of using a real vehicle, we can use a simulator to mocks a real truck, having all communications with software and hardware and a realistic look and feel of the truck operation, providing a way to test hardware and software of the driving assistance system in a lab without a real truck.

I developed this Haul Truck simulator when I worked in a driving assistance product as a software developer specialist at Hexagon Mining. The three main objectives of the simulator are:

  1. To do Software-in-the-loop (SiL) and Hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing with the company products.

  2. To do live demonstrations of the product to company clients by sales representants.

  3. To train truck operators in using the product in a safe environment.

And his main features:

  • Realistic graphics and physics, resembling the feeling of driving a truck.

  • Custom vehicle simulation model. To be as accurate as possible and have a similar response comparing to a real truck.

  • Sensors simulation and communication with external systems to do SiL and HiL testing.

  • Virtualization of output devices. This can enable using immersive virtual reality devices like HMDs, providing a way to view and interact with smartscreens and lightbars as in real world.

Relevant links:

Video showing the Haul Truck Simulator as a highlight in HxGN LIVE 2019:

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