Scenarios in Virtual Environments

Linzhen Nie and Ronald R. Mourant

Scenarios are situations that usually involve moving computer controlled (autonomous) objects.  They are designed to cause a user to react.

A scenario can start by a user reaching a specific location.  When that location is reached a "trigger" is fired and the scenario begins.

Scenarios are used to measure the skill level of the participant.

Here are some examples of scenarios.

illegal       pedestrian

                  An illegally parked vehicle.                                            A pedestrian in the crosswalk.


cutting       bicycle

            A vehicle cutting in front of you.                                         A bicycle about to cross the road.

When a scenario happens, we measure the driver's performance in terms of vehicle control (steering, braking, acceleration) and physiological measures (heart rate, galvanic skin response).  Our eye-movement camera can be used to determine the point at which a driver detects a dangerous situation.