simulator

Honda Japan has announced a fully remodeled driving simulator to promote safer driving, featuring high-resolution LCDs with computer graphics, a moving seat for a more realistic experience, and feedback about users' driving skills.

The latest simulator features high-definition 42-inch LCDs, image and text explanations of and advice about road hazards, as well as two- and six-axis motion options. A touch-panel display allows for easy operation.

Users can select driving simulations at nighttime, in fog, and on the highway as well as regular urban environments. While there are other vehicles on the simulated roads, it seems there are no pedestrians.

Honda … Read more

My expectations heading into the Panasonic press event on Wednesday in New York City were pretty low. I'm the audio guy and most of the hubbub was focused on new plasma and LCD displays, and Blu-ray players.

I sat there, eyes glazing over, as Panasonic spokespeople prattled on about "exciting" new advances in Viera Link and PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus technologies--good times for me! But then something amazing happened: they mentioned sound quality! Trust me, that doesn't happen very often at these things, so I was all ears.

First, the new DMP-BD85 Blu-ray player features an HDMI Jitter Purifier, which, according to Panasonic, "affords clear, robust bass sounds faithful to the original." That sounds like something the PR department dreamed up, but it may be useful. We'll see.

Then they said the DMP-BD85 uses a Digital Tube Sound Simulator to produce the warm sound quality associated with vacuum tube amplifiers! What? They even had a small plastic display box fitted with three small tubes to illustrate the concept. DMP-BD85 owners can select between the "sound" of three different tube effects over the HDMI and 7.1-channel analog audio outputs (or turn off the effect and hear unprocessed sound). They didn't mention it, but this sort of sonic enhancement probably won't be compatible with Dolby or DTS soundtracks. That leaves DVDs, Blu-rays, and CDs encoded with PCM audio.… Read more

Consideo's Modeler is the sort of unusual software that turns up from time to time. It's designed to visualize and analyze "connections of arguments, ideas, strategies, projects, and processes." It can model complex, multifactor business strategies, but it's useful to everyone from scientists to students. Among the real-world virtues it claims are the ability to shorten meetings by focusing questions and clarifying arguments. It functions as both a qualitative analysis tool, identifying, tracing, and describing factors and connections ranging from "weak" to "strong," and a quantitative modeler, running simulations based on … Read more

LAS VEGAS--At last year's show, Mad Catz treated us to a series of new controllers, but at CES 2010 we're getting a taste of the first force-sensing flight stick we've seen.

Due out in February, the Saitek Pro Flight X65F Control System is designed specifically to emulate aircraft controls found in modern military fighter jets. While most conventional flight sticks tilt with your movement, the X65F responds solely to pressure while remaining still.

Bundled in with the X65F is a CD loaded with preset control maps for some of the most popular flight simulation games out there. … Read more

Housed in a 10-story building at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., is one of the world's most unique machines. The Vertical Motion Simulator is a massive installation that gives pilots and engineers the opportunity to test aircraft design and explore flight characteristics with an incredibly high level of realism and accuracy.

Last week CNET visited the facility as NASA was testing out Altair, the design for the next generation of lunar landers. As they test the current design, pilots and engineers make recommendations, enhancements, and alterations.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--There I was, staking my claim to a pilot's slot in one of NASA's next-generation lunar landers, and to be perfectly frank, I think I'd better not quit my day job.

"I think we probably walked away from that," said NASA aerospace engineer Eric Mueller, after one rough touchdown. It was an overly charitable assessment of my performance. I'd hate to know what he was really thinking.

If you've been paying attention, you're probably aware that there are no current missions to the moon, and so you know that … Read more

ECG Simulator provides a variety of mimicked heartbeats and heart disease simulations. It's a valuable tool for learning about electrocardiology and the heart. With a simple layout and controls, this software could be an essential helper for medical students or anyone studying anatomy, physiology, or sports medicine.

This program's smooth interface is easy to navigate, even without medical training, which suggests that med students and others with medical backgrounds will have no trouble with its clearly labeled commands and visual aids. The program resembles an EKG monitor with a spiking heartbeat scrolling across the screen. ECG Simulator shines … Read more

Wall Street Raider provides a realistic simulation of the wheeling-dealing stock market lifestyle. Much like the real Wall Street, this game is incredibly complex and not for novices.

The program's interface was so confusingly dense that it practically gave us a headache with its multicolored, compartmentalized display. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that Wall Street Raider is reserved for those with prior stock-trading knowledge, since the Help file was just as dense with text and jargon. From our limited understanding of Wall Street dealings, the program does an impressive job of recreating a trader's life, despite its horrible organization. … Read more

A hard-core racing simulation fan from Japan has created this very rudimentary (yet somewhat cool) DIY driving station out of PVC pipes, a wooden plank, and cable ties. While it doesn't look as polished as its video game arcade equivalent, this skeletal concoction is actually very functional, complete with a steering wheel and foot pedal mounts, plus folding capability for easy storage.

One important point we'd like to highlight: this driving station has nothing to do with Gran Turismo (which is a PlayStation exclusive) as claimed by game portal Kotaku, since the pictured steering wheel is manufactured by … Read more