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Šarūnas Miliauskas, a second-year student in the Vehicle Engineering program at Kaunas University of Technology, and Domas Semėnas, a third-year student, have not recently regained the attention of friends and classmates. The Transport and Mechatronic Systems Research Laboratory is in full swing, testing and improving the balance racing simulator developed by the guys for some time. There are many curious people waiting in line to test this device.
How is a simulator created by students different from others? As well as being a Lithuanian-made model, it stands out from the more expensive products on the market in that it can not only mimic acceleration, braking, cornering, loss of wheel grip or bumpy road, but also mimics uphill driving and rear axle launch. It also has the ability to recreate the performance of car tires and shocks with more improvements.
Wire pattern
Domas Semėnas grew up and studied in Panevėžys. A boy who loved to build while in the eleventh grade, watching YouTube videos, saw a video on how to make a racing simulator. In other words, in the chair where you sit playing computer racing games, you will feel as if you are not sitting at the computer, but at the wheel of a racing car.
Of course, such a challenge was not easy for the student, so he made only a small electronic copy.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15-minute photo / career simulator for KTU students
“When I saw the YouTube post, I thought it would be possible to make that chair myself. The first model was made of wire, several motors, sensors, ”says Domas.
While it seems incredible, the model he made while learning the internet worked and, as he says, developed in the evenings after school.
A wire model that was put away in the closet for a while while waiting for the high school exams, the university.
Several years have passed. Thoughts are already a student. The first year of college opened my eyes more widely. The computer simulation sessions reminded me of the idea of a racing simulator left at home in Panevėžys. But the implementation of the idea that started at school required not only wishes but also opportunities. Here, university and physics classes were extended by the university, where the boy met Šarūnas Miliauskas.
Electromagnetic weapon
“We had joint lectures on the topic ‘Problem Tasks’. The older and younger students got to know each other during the conference. Working in groups, they had to solve tasks. It was so close that we joined a group. The teacher allowed himself to bring up the topic of the problem task, which would be related to the subjects taught, ”says simulator co-author Š.Miliauskas.
The first joint work that Domas and Šarūnas decided to do was the creation of a weapon. It is true that, unusual as it was, it was an electromagnetic weapon. In the first task, the boys complemented each other perfectly. Domas did very well in matters related to electricity and the horse of Šarūnas: the mechanical solutions and their implementation.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15-minute photo / career simulator for KTU students
“The electromagnetic rifle really worked, but we can’t show it anymore. It was made of pieces that were returned to the places where they were removed after the project, ”the students laugh.
Because the guys were great to work with together, Dom shared the idea for a racing stimulator, showed off the original computer simulator project, and offered to contribute to its production.
The work has started. The project upgrade lasted about a month, after which production began at Šarūnas House. The frame was welded first. Production lasted about three months. Then the first functional prototype was produced. But the unit didn’t stay in the boys’ garage. They spoke to the professors in the Department of Transportation Engineering about the simulator that they started producing.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15min photo / Domas Semėnas and Šarūnas Miliauskas
“In the first semester, students have an introduction to the specialty of transportation engineering. Here they share their ideas. Domas with the teacher prof. Artūras Keršiu shared his idea. Then the design work began. After receiving the initial result, we discussed a little more with them about what it should be, ”says Rolandas Makaras, Head of KTU’s Department of Transportation Engineering.
According to R. Makaras, students usually do everything in college. This case was distinguished by the fact that the students began to build in their spare time, at home. Therefore, the first presentation did not take place in the university auditorium, but at home, where the head of the department and the professor also attended.
“You can say that this is an intellectual work that combines different fields of science: transportation, mechanics, electronics,” said R. Makaras, associate professor at the university.
Professional racer behind the wheel
What was the original idea for this model? “First of all, it had to be a completely better version of what you can buy. We noticed that similar simulators in stores had flaws that we were able to fix quite inexpensively. The commercials give only 12 degrees and ours can rotate in an amplitude of 80 degrees ”, say the authors of the project.
While it sounds like a paradox, guys directly have nothing to do with racing. Šarūnas admitted that he had tried to make a sports car, but it broke down and was no longer worth repairing.
And where, then, do you ask the idea of how car driving should be repeated? Students respond that problems to be solved must first be identified.
“For example, we wanted to simulate the sliding of the back of a car. This created a wheel that spins the entire structure to mimic the glide of the car. This solution is unique, because we have not been able to find simulators with such movement on the market ”, the inventors affirm.
Professional racer Ramūnas Čapkauskas contributed to the improvement of the simulator with tips. In the KTU lab, the runner tested the device and shared his ideas.
According to R.Čapkauskas, the main problem was that the simulator moves too wide while driving on the race track. This motion simulation is more reminiscent of a rally cross car, but a sports car should behave differently when driving in a ring.
All the parameters, how much the balancing chair will turn, at what angle it will turn, how fast it will reach a certain angle are adjusted thanks to the software. Very soon, Domas and Šarūnas will adjust the settings as advised by R.Čapkauskas. You can see the impressions of the cyclist in the video:
VIDEO: Ramūnas Čapkauskas on a student-created racing simulator: “I feel like I’m flying with David Jocium”
The authors of the project say that this is only the beginning, all professional advice is important to improve the invention. And the ultimate goal is for such simulators to find a place in driving schools where the first practical trips can be made with a simulator rather than a car.
In the future, the Kaunas-designed device could be used for pilot training due to its ability to rotate with great amplitude.
“And now it could be used to train pilots, all you have to do is swap the steering wheel for the steering wheel and add additional buttons,” says D. Semėnas.
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