Thanks to a $726,000 investment by the Morrison Government virtual reality is being used to maintain and check the driving skills of senior Australians to improve road safety.
Currently being trialled in Inverell in NSW, Hector VR, is a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator for drivers aged between 70 and 80 years of age.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Ken Wyatt AM said that the ground breaking innovation would enable senior Australians to maintain their driving proficiency and can be used to test their driving skills to help them decide if they should continue driving.
He added that whilst the thought of giving up driving can be daunting, especially for people in rural and regional Australia, it is important that they are safe on the roads and this technology can help them make an informed decision.
The trial which has been developed by aged care provider McLean Care in partnership with Deakin University’s School of engineering, uses interactive virtual reality which is linked with smart sensor technology.
The driving simulator is contained in the shell of a Holden Captiva vehicle and sensors are also installed which measure the driver’s reaction times and heart rate to assess their responses to a variety of situations that can arise when driving, according to Member for New England Barnaby Joyce.
To make the users experience as realistic as possible the virtual driving scenarios are modelled on the township of Inverell using local buildings and landmarks and includes differing road conditions and realistic scenarios such as country driving. Hector VR can also allow those seniors who can no longer drive to relive the driving experience.
Minister Wyatt congratulated McLean Care and Deakin University on this exciting project, which was funded through the Government’s $34 million Dementia and Aged Care Services grants scheme, which is promoting innovation across Australia.
