Driver training in immersive virtual reality (VR) and transfer to the real world: A feasibility study on learning how to drive a truck in VR

Abstract. Virtual reality (VR) offers important advantages in training complex spatial skills, as required for example in driving, because it enables immersion and experience-based learning, and offers financial, ecological, and safety benefits. In the context of driving, as larger vehicles can be especially challenging to master for beginners, we investigated whether truck driving instruction and practice in a VR-simulator enhances performance, and whether the acquired skills transfer to maneuvering a real vehicle. In an empirical feasibility study, we first measured learners’ performance while an experienced instructor trained them on a conventional simulator vs. in VR, following analogous training protocols. The task was to reverse a truck with a trailer, a particularly difficult task that requires extensive practice. After training, participants completed a test on a real vehicle to validate the effectiveness of the training. Participants were asked to report previous experience, attitudes towards the system, motion sickness, and fatigue levels. Four male participants, who had a car driving license but no experience reversing a truck with trailer, completed the training. Results demonstrate that basic maneuvering skills can be trained in VR and transfer to the real vehicle. Even with a low-budget VR solution, participants learned easily, and learning curves were comparable to the simulator condition. Participants reported positive attitudes towards the training in both conditions. Future research could investigate whether using a customized VR environment that takes full advantage of all the benefits of VR, could lead to even greater training gains.