Toyota has decided to put the educational power of virtual reality to the test with TeenDrive365, an educational driver simulation for the Oculus Rift that is meant to teach new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving. It does this by putting you into the driver’s seat of a Toyota vehicle while it simulates various annoying and distarcting sounds and visuals.
The education potential of VR and the Oculus Rift is already well-established, but this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Toyota showed off TeenDrive365, a driver education simulation to teach new drivers about the risks of distracted driving. The simulator puts drivers in the cockpit of a Toyota vehicle, in a fully immersive virtual environment that includes passengers, traffic, buildings and roadway obstacles. The driver is actually in a stationary Toyota vehicle in the demo both set up by Toyota at NAIAS, and their use of the gas, brake and steering wheel are reflected in the virtual environment. Stereo headphones complete the experience, pumping in realistic sounds including honking, sirens, and your annoying friends haranguing you about meaningless nonsense.