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Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) were used to measure subjects’ cerebral blood flow in order to investigate higher-order human brain function activity associated with cognition and attention while operating a vehicle. As a first step, the effects of the fundamental driving environment on brain activity was investigated on the basis of fMRI measurements, with simultaneous measurement of the frontal region by fNIRS. The experiments involved the presentation of visual stimuli by video clips and the execution of simple individual tasks corresponding to steering wheel and pedal operations. As a second step, a driving simulator was used to reproduce narrow road driving and car-following driving situations requiring cognition and attention. Drivers’ mental activity under these conditions involving different levels of attention was measured by fNIRS.

This study seeks to design a lane-keeping controller for motorcycles and to evaluate it by simple computer simulation with a rider-control model. We applied the optimal control theory to the lane-keeping controller. The control effect is evaluated by using the rider-control model. By examining the computer simulation with the rider-in-the-loop system consisting of the motorcycle, the controller, and the rider-control model, good lane-following performance is achieved without interference between the control input and the rider's input. Additionally, the lane-following performance is improved by using a virtual-point regulator.

A theoretical analysis on the fundamental requirements for the functional design of the maglev vehicle undercarriage with mechanical air-gap control system is dealt with. One of the requirements introduced is described by the relation among the primary suspension spring rate, the attractive force characteristics of the magnet and the control lever ratio. Another requirement is a dimensional relation among the location of the magnets, the vertical guide-wheels and the primary suspension springs. In order to discuss the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle, a computer simulation of the vehicle response to guideway roughness random input is carried out. Attention is focused on the influence of the system parameters on power spectra of the vehicle responses.

In this paper a computer simulation study on the effects of steering parameters on lateral dynamics of the guideway bus to contribute to a development practice of designing optimum steering control system are dealt with. A stability limit of vehicle lateral motion is analyzed and an emphasis is laid on the effects of moment of inertia of a conventional steering wheel and lateral elasticity of the guide rail which have proven to reduce the critical vehicle speed. It is pointed out conclusively that a normal bus equipped with additional simple guidance equipments can be guided smoothly on a simple guideway at adequately high vehicle speed.