As the car enters a right-hand...
As the car enters a right-hand corner, the simulator pitches to the left to give the driver the feeling of entering a corner and the centrifugal force that your body feels in that type of turn. Depending on how the "car" is adjusted, you can determine if it's loose or tight. Many of the programs have a replay feature that allows you to see how you drove the car into the corner so there is even more opportunity to communicate and learn from the simulation.
Another great feature is that the Blue Tiger is completely electric and consequently there aren't any hydraulics or pneumatic actuators that will leak or degrade the performance of the simulation. Plus, there is no possibility that a puddle of oil will end up under the simulator. The rate and degree of motion are all adjustable to suit the simulation. Setup is minimal and doesn't require a factory trained person to accomplish. From a facilities perspective, all you need is a floor space the size of a medium-sized sofa. From the perspective of the computer interface, it's simple enough for a person with the most rudimentary of computer skills to run.
The reality is the illusion, the motion simulator endeavors to create the same environment that the driver would be experiencing in the car. The more closely that the real world situations are replicated, the more real the simulation will be to the driver, and consequently the more immersed the driver will be in the whole process. This includes not only the visual experience but the motion and aural inputs. The video game or internet gaming program delivers the sound and the visual inputs, while the Blue Tiger provides the kinetics and the realistic motion cues that make the simulation more realistic.
The trouble with many motion simulators is that they tend to provide linear motion only associated with the general motion of the vehicle and often the motions are not linked to the visual portion of the intended simulation. What are often missed are the other subtle motion cues that complete the experience. The experience of broaching the edge of the track will generate the vibrations and feel that you would expect when you drop a wheel off of the track or when you brush a wall. It's these experiences that complete the total simulation experience and make it more realistic and believable.
It's the people on your team that are the ultimate differentiator, and that having the best and the brightest people, mobilized effectively, properly trained for the tasks at hand, and motivated for action, that will make a huge difference in the performance of your team. By mastering the skill of becoming an effective communicator and coach, you can help ensure that your team is always working up to its highest performing potential. Assessing your peoples' performance, providing solid and honest feedback, and offering the needed development opportunities and tools will ensure good team members become great--which will further your chances to develop a winning team. After all, this is all about performance.
In part two of this feature, we'll have a group of real race car drivers all experience Blue Tiger and give feedback. It's our intent to develop a profile of each driver based on his racing experiences and, through post "driving" impressions, really determine if this simulator could improve on-track performance, the level of communication with his team, and overall general impression of the Blue Tiger experience.
 The diversity of the people...  The diversity of the people who have driven the Blue Tiger have all had a similar response, "It was very real," and "I found myself concentrating more and more as the session developed. At first I thought the motion wouldn't replicate the real world but I found it very critical to the experience." |  The level of concentration...  The level of concentration is apparent on the face of this young racer. The amount of concentration is just as intense as in the race car. Young or mature, people are drawn into the realism of the simulation and the addition of the movements that are directly linked to what is happening on the monitors adds even more reality to the simulation. |  |