VSimulators: Human factors simulation for motion and serviceability in the built environment

VSimulators is a worldwide unique facility for exploring how people experience motion and vibrations in the build environment, such as sway in tall buildings, vibration of lively floors, or movement of footbridges. The facility consists of a pair of simulators located at the Universities of Bath and Exeter providing complementary capability in mimicking motion and environmental factors in the built environment. Using hydraulic actuators driving a climate controlled room, the Bath machine can simulate biaxial movement at ultra-low frequencies with large amplitudes primarily to study comfort and health of occupants in tall and super tall buildings which are proliferating in cities across the world. The Exeter machine uses a 6-axis electric 'hexapod' actuation system supporting a rigid 4 meter square platform. This will simulate multi-axis motion primarily to study comfort of humans using footbridges, floors and grandstands vibrating in response to occupant dynamic forces. The Bath machine will incorporate peripheral video displays of internal and external environment, systems for sophisticated environmental control and measurement of occupant physiological and psychological reactions, while the Exeter machine will use sophisticated virtual reality and full capability for force identification and motion capture of occupants. Using shared equipment (e.g. treadmills, inertial sensors, optical motion capture) and technical support the complementary capabilities will be applied to research human-structure interaction (based upon human comfort, well-being and productivity), assisted mobility and rehabilitation and populate a spectrum of vibration serviceability guidance.
The facility will provide a worldwide unique capability available to researchers and practitioners from a range of industries and backgrounds. Together with this multi-disciplinary network of people, VSimulators' unique capability will transform what research we are able to do and how we carry out that research.

The primary beneficiaries will be both the designers and owners of built infrastructure (buildings, footbridges, floors and grandstands) who will have reliable guidance for meeting user comfort requirements, and the users themselves (office workers, building inhabitants, concert goers, etc) whose health, well-being and comfort will be improved as a result.
Built infrastructures includes tall and super-tall buildings for which occupant comfort, health and well-being in horizontal wind-induced sway is becoming the governing factor in design. It also includes; floors in a range of uses where vertical vibrations render them unusable; footbridges, where lively behaviour remains a concern for efficient and aesthetic high-profile structures with long spans, and; grandstands where complex behaviour of groups and crowds of spectators interact with the structure to create uncomfortable and potentially unsafe conditions.
The two machines will be used together to generate a comprehensive data that will inform organisations and standards committees to enable updating and creation of design codes and guides used for these structures which properly account for situation and environment dependency. It will also be of use to engineers, architects, contractors and clients for bespoke design of specific structures incorporating users directly in the design process.
The improvement in the environment which building users find themselves in, whether at work or at rest, will lead to improved comfort and well-being, leading to increased productivity, directly benefiting the UK economy and reduced sickness and absenteeism, benefiting the health system.
VSimulators will provide the best possible capability to identify mechanisms for observed feedback loops between human loading and structural motion. This coupled feedback can both enhance or reduce effects of their loading. This will provide designers with the knowledge required to improve serviceability behaviour by either engaging or preventing these effects.
Engagement with healthcare professionals and researchers has indicated significant potential for impact in rehabilitation and assisted mobility. VSimulators will enable research in strategies to get mobility-challenged people to move around more freely improving their health and wellbeing.
There is also a range of potential impacts in areas where virtual reality is only beginning to find applications, for example in performing delicate manual operations (surgery, instrument repair, scientific experiments) in moving environments including a wide range of vehicles.