Smartpole-VR-AWSIM

This is a fork of tier4/AWSIM adapted to support VR-based simulations of Smartpole Interaction Units (SPIUs).
The goal is to simulate infrastructure-to-human interaction experiences and evaluate perceived safety, clarity, and timing of eHMIs (external Human-Machine Interfaces) provided by SPIUs in urban environments.

VR scenarios simulating infrastructure-to-human interactions with smartpoles, including blind spots, intersections, and pedestrian crossings

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🔍 Purpose

This project extends AWSIM to enable:

• Immersive first-person VR experiences of smartpole-based external HMI signals.
• Human-in-the-loop evaluations for safety perception and usability testing.
• Scenario experimentation using ROS 2-based simulation, Autoware compatibility, and Unity rendering.

Ideal for researchers and developers working on:

• Infrastructure-based eHMI interactions with pedestrians using VR
• Collective perception with different road participants
• Smart city and V2X deployment studies
• Safety evaluation of infrastructure HMI systems

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🌟 Features

• Unity-based 3D simulation with VR support
• Scenarios involving smartpole interactions, traffic lights, and vulnerable road users
• AWSIM itself runs on Ubuntu 22.04 and Windows 10/11, but VR scenarios are mainly supported on Windows 10/11
• Forked and compatible with the latest Autoware
• Fully integrated with ROS 2 communication
• VR Scenarios tested on Meta Quest 2 and 3

Available eHMI Assets

eHMI Description	"GO" Display	"STOP" Display
Autonomous Vehicle
Smartpole Interaction Unit
Delivery Robot

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🚀 Getting Started

Start with the base AWSIM tutorial:

👉 Quick Start Demo

Then, check out the SPIU-specific VR simulation guide (coming soon).

Available VR Scenarios

The project includes four specialized VR scenarios located in Assets/AWSIM/Scenes/Main/:

1. BlindSpotVRScenario
   • Focuses on simulating blind spot situations where pedestrians might be hidden from vehicle drivers
   • Tests how smartpole-based eHMIs can help prevent accidents in areas with limited visibility
   • Includes buildings, vehicles, and pedestrians positioned to create blind spot situations

Blind Spot VR Scenario showing smartpole eHMIs helping with visibility in occluded areas

2. FourWayIntersectionVRScenario
   • Complex urban intersection simulation
   • Tests smartpole interactions in a typical four-way intersection setting
   • Includes traffic lights, multiple lanes, and various road users (pedestrians, vehicles, cyclists)
   • Perfect for evaluating how eHMIs can improve safety and communication at busy intersections

Four Way Intersection VR Scenario demonstrating smartpole eHMIs at a complex urban intersection

3. DeliveryRobotVRScenario
   • Focuses on interactions between pedestrians and delivery robots
   • Tests how smartpole-based eHMIs can facilitate safe coexistence between pedestrians and autonomous delivery robots
   • Includes sidewalks, delivery robots, and pedestrian paths

Delivery Robot VR Scenario showing interactions between pedestrians and autonomous delivery robots

4. NightTimeVRScenario
   • Nighttime version of the simulation
   • Tests how eHMIs perform in low-light conditions
   • Includes appropriate lighting conditions and nighttime-specific challenges
   • Important for evaluating the visibility and effectiveness of eHMIs during dark hours

Night Time VR Scenario showing smartpole eHMIs in low-light conditions

Each scenario is designed to test different aspects of smartpole-based eHMIs:

• Different lighting conditions (day/night)
• Various traffic situations (intersections, blind spots)
• Different types of road users (pedestrians, vehicles, delivery robots)
• Various environmental conditions (visibility, traffic density)

These scenarios work together to provide a comprehensive testing environment for evaluating:

• Safety perception
• Clarity of communication
• Timing of eHMI signals
• Effectiveness in different real-world situations

Running VR Simulations on Meta Quest

To run the VR scenarios on Meta Quest:

1. Prerequisites

   • Windows PC
   • Meta Quest 2 or newer
   • USB-C cable for PC connection
   • Meta Air Link software installed

2. Setup Steps

   • Connect your Meta Quest to your PC using the USB-C cable
   • Enable Meta Quest Air Link in your Quest settings
   • Open the project in Unity
   • Select your desired VR scenario from Assets/AWSIM/Scenes/Main/
   • Click the Play button in Unity

3. Controls

   • Move your head to see the different directions in the scene

4. Performance Tips

   • Ensure your PC meets the minimum VR requirements
   • Close unnecessary background applications
   • Adjust graphics settings in Unity if needed
   • Use a high-quality USB-C cable for optimal performance

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📚 Documentation

• AWSIM Docs
• SPIU-VR Extensions (TBD)

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📄 License

This repository inherits the AWSIM license:

• Code: Apache 2.0
• Assets: CC BY-NC

See LICENSE for details.

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📬 Contact

日本語/English OK
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Discord: TBD
Twitter: TBD

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Smartpole-VR-AWSIM is an experimental extension for human-centered smart infrastructure research. Contributions are welcome!

If you use this repository in your research, please cite the following paper:

@inproceedings{Chauhan2025SilentNegotiator,
  author    = {Vishal Chauhan and Anubhav and Robin Sidhu and Yu Asabe and Kanta Tanaka and Chia-Ming Chang and Xiang Su and Ehsan Javanmardi and Takeo Igarashi and Alex Orsholits and Kantaro Fujiwara and Manabu Tsukada},
  title     = {A Silent Negotiator? Cross-cultural VR Evaluation of Smart Pole Interaction Units in Dynamic Shared Spaces},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the 31st ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST '25)},
  year      = {2025},
  month     = {November},
  pages     = {},
  publisher = {ACM},
  address   = {Montreal, QC, Canada},
  doi       = {10.1145/3756884.3765991},
  isbn      = {979-8-4007-2118-2/2025/11}
}